'We beat ourselves': Danny Cowley reveals Portsmouth frustration after Fleetwood disappointment

The Blues looked set up for a strong performance after Josh Koroma earned them a seven-minute lead during an enterprising first-half.

However, Carlos Mendes Gomes levelled following poor defending from a Cod Army corner just eight minutes later – and it remained 1-1 by the final whistle.

Cowley believes Pompey should have been at least two goals ahead of the visitors by the interval, yet missed opportunities were crucial.

As it turned out, during the second half the Blues’ failed to replicate that form of the opening 45 minutes, with the match eventually petering out to an unsatisfactory point.

And Cowley was unhappy following a third straight League One game without victory.

He told The News: ‘You come in at half-time and the game is so dominant, you can't be 1-1, you can’t be – and, ultimately, we have paid for that.

‘We should be two goals clear at the interval, 2-0 up from the first 10 minutes and that would have given us a really good place in the game

‘We were ready for a really dominant display – but we beat ourselves.

‘We had a really good way into the game, a really good start, turned them over on the build, and scored a really good goal through Josh Koroma.

‘We should then be 2-0 up after we took a quick free-kick, the referee pulled it back and then we conceded a goal from nowhere. It was a really soft goal from a set-piece.

‘The first time Fleetwood came into our box, the delivery dropped out of the sky with snow on it, we lost the first contact and lost the second contact – and all of a sudden it was 1-1.

‘We responded well, had complete dominance of the game in the first-half, had lots of chances, didn’t take them, and in the second half up until the 65th minute had a good place in the game.

‘Then we lost some energy and a bit of momentum. We tried to change it with a couple of subs but weren't able to finish the game as well as we would have liked to have done.’

The closest Pompey came to netting in the second half was Marlon Pack’s 30-yard first-time shot which struck the bar.

While, at the other end, the hosts never looked in any threat of losing the encounter.

Cowley added: ‘Marlon had one which hit the bar and we’ve just got to keep playing.

‘Stay on method, keep doing what we’ve been doing and eventually they (Fleetwood) will tire and the game will come.

‘But we got a bit impatient on the pitch and started to force our play. That didn’t suit us as much.’