Mark Yates happy with performance, clean sheet and a point on the south coast.
Cheltenham Town manager Mark Yates speaking to the press following this afternoon's 0-0 draw at Portsmouth:"It was the first time that we have been down here, a great atmosphere in the second half when they perhaps has a little bit more play than we would have liked but the players stood up to it superbly well. There was a goalmouth scramble at the end but apart from that I can't really remember them creating too much. We didn't quite test the keeper enough but it is a tough place to come and we can be reasonably happy with our performance and a good point.
"I thought the shape all game was good but we surrendered the ball a little too cheaply in the second half and there were a few chances where we could have done better. Overall I am quite happy with the way they worked and we were never in doubt of losing the game. We were excellent in the first half and they couldn't cope with us at times but we also looked solid and organised. It was a test for my players in terms of it being a full house, and it's a bit different to what we are used to and they have some good players but we stood up to them and we matched them in the first half. It was tight in the second half and there was very little in it but they probably edged it towards the end. We stood firm and deserved at least a point.
"I watched Ashley's shot on the laptop at half time and it was a great strike onto the post. At the minutes, with the group, if we go in front then we have a bit about us meaning we would go on and win. It was a great strike and we could have perhaps had one or two more.
"The clean sheet is important because it means you will pick up points. Lots of good stuff today but we've got to build on it now and keep lookingotwards the next game because they come thick and fast. We go to Oxford on Tuesday night and it is a tough place to go so we must make sure we're ready for it.
"The fans were great. To be fair they're up against 16,000 others but they were  good and were cheering on the boys and they appreciated the hard work that the boys put in. It's a nice place to come with a decent ground and I hope they enjoyed their day as much as we enjoyed ours."
Click here for the report.