Portsmouth FC: Boss John Mousinho says players deserve a break after 'superb' EFL Trophy win
- Published
Portsmouth forward Kusini Yengi was one of five players to score against Gillingham
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho says his players deserve their upcoming break after Tuesday's "superb" 5-1 victory over Gillingham in the EFL Trophy.
The sides were level 1-1 at the break but League One leaders Pompey dominated the second half to emerge victorious from the group stage match.
"We strive for 90 minutes of perfection but you're never going to get that," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.
"The second half was a joy to watch and I was impressed with how we played."
Portsmouth's scheduled league match against Northampton on Saturday was postponed due to international call-ups and so they do not have a game until they host Carlisle on 21 October.
Mousinho fielded a strong team against managerless League Two side Gillingham at Fratton Park and five different players got on the scoresheet including Tino Anjorin and Ben Stevenson who netted their first goals for the club.
"We do want a bit more from the lads in the opening 45 minutes," added the 37-year-old head coach.
"But to come out and be as good as they were after the break, credit to them putting the game to bed, that was pleasing.
"The one chance that Gillingham had was when we switched-off defensively but apart from that we were superb.
"The only criticism is that we didn't put the ball in the back of the net a couple more times - but I think that is being really picky."
'Refresh the legs mentally'
Pompey players will get a full debrief of the match on Wednesday before going on a well earned four day break.
"Some of the lads will also have a training session because we don't want to have too many bodies de-conditioned," Mousinho said.
"Then we have four days off and then we are back on Monday for a normal week to get ready to fire for Carlisle.
"It's really crucial that we have these few days off because we have had a really difficult schedule the last six weeks and it has taken a toll on the players - they fully deserve a break.
"It's really important to refresh the legs mentally more than anything because the demands of winning games and what we are trying to sustain is difficult."