Pompey head coach John Mousinho talks to The News after the Blues closed their 2023-24 campaign with a 2-0 win at the LNER Stadium
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00:00 Jon, final game of the season, 2-0 win at Lincoln, 97 points for the campaign.
00:07 Yeah, really nice to hear that. Obviously we knew if we'd won the game it was going to be 97 points, but to go and look at the league table, you'll see us 5 points clear of Derby, 10 points clear of Bolton, and getting to 97 points.
00:17 The only disappointment was that we didn't get to 100, but you can't have everything. We weren't at it last week, but it was good to have a week back where everybody was settled down physically and mentally and went at it again.
00:29 So really, really pleased, it was a terrific game of football and we only deserved to win.
00:33 You were largely in control most of the game and then galloped away at the end.
00:37 I thought we had a lot of control in the first half. The first half however we probably didn't create a huge amount, but then the last 15 minutes of the first half we started to create a few more chances which we didn't get on the back of the net.
00:47 The second half was slightly different. Lincoln pressed us a bit higher and that opens up opportunities at the other end of the football pitch and that was part of our thinking in terms of bringing Christian, Abou and Cassini on.
00:57 With that extra physicality to open them up and we looked really, really dangerous on the counter attack when things did open up and my only criticism is we didn't score a couple more goals.
01:09 We got some, not necessarily chances, but some really good opportunities to get the ball on the back of the net.
01:13 Actually chances as well with Jack Sparks wanting to come on the paddy now.
01:17 I am delighted with the day's work because of everything that's gone on over the past 10-15 days at the football club and the highs of what we've had over last week, Tuesday and Saturday.
01:30 To be able to come back down to earth and prepare against a side that had everything to play for and to beat them in their own back yard was brilliant.
01:36 Was that the perfect ending?
01:38 It feels like it to be honest. It feels like it because we've managed to go back into that dressing room with the group of players and I'm not moaning about the result which is great.
01:46 I wouldn't have done it anyway but it was a characteristic performance of what we've been able to do this season.
01:52 The other part that really pleased me was the fact that we managed to bring in players that have hardly played at all this season fitting in with the Super Bowl.
02:00 I thought Riley Taylor did very well.
02:02 I thought he was excellent. He was obviously here on the near side in the first half, kept carrying the ball out very well, found Jack Sparks brilliantly on a couple of occasions, defended well.
02:11 He did not look like a player that had only started two games previously to today.
02:15 He looked very, very comfortable and my message to Riley is that he's been extremely unlucky this season.
02:20 We've spoken about it time and time again and for us to be able to have a player like that who's hardly featured in the squad recently to come on and start as well as he did,
02:28 it's really nice for us to give him that as a boost going into the summer because it's been tough.
02:34 It's obviously been tough for Riley this season and I thought he was excellent.
02:37 He's only had a sixth league start all season which is incredible really.
02:42 Third league start.
02:43 Sorry, sixth league appearance.
02:45 There you go.
02:46 Third league start and the last one was against Fleetwood.
02:49 He got to communicate away against Fleetwood and came out the side after that.
02:52 Found himself out of the squad. He hasn't complained. He hasn't dropped his head in training.
02:58 He's kept to his extras and Riley will have a really, really good career.
03:03 Next season he's set himself up brilliantly well for us to look at the back end of the season with him and go,
03:10 "Okay, you've done really well. Let's have a look at you next year, come back pre-season and fight for your place in the Championship side."
03:17 What really pleased you about his performance overall?
03:19 He just didn't look out of place and he didn't look like somebody that hadn't played a huge amount.
03:23 He looked very comfortable on the ball.
03:25 I thought when he didn't have any options forward, he capped back out and went to the goalkeeper really well.
03:29 A good compliment on the second half is that I didn't notice Riley.
03:36 I wasn't worried about him.
03:37 I never thought about making any change with fitness, all of those sort of things.
03:41 A very, very calm, composed performance for Riley who as well is still a young lad and he hasn't had the time on the pitch either.
03:48 I'm really happy for him.
03:49 And then tomorrow, the end of the season, Bash and South Sea Common?
03:54 A really fitting way to end the season.
03:56 It's nice to do it off the back of a win.
03:58 I don't think the loss last week dampened anything at all, but I think if we lose back-to-back games or if we don't even go into the season,
04:05 it wouldn't have felt quite right, particularly because as the game went on, it became one of those games with a bit of needle in it.
04:12 There were a few bits going back and forth and we wanted to win the game anyway,
04:16 but we absolutely thought we would win the game the way we did.
04:18 Miles, for example, getting the winning goal is a bit fitting because of the stick he had in the first half.
04:23 So, yes, I'm really pleased for the boys.
04:26 Thank you.