Pompey's fringe players have been praised for putting themselves into contention for Saturday's visit to Blackpool.

Kal Naismith and Curtis Main were among those who starred as Pompey won at Charlton to reach the last 32 of a competition which although few fans are interested in, many clubs do seem to be taking in their stride.

Main scored the only goal, with Naismith and another 'forgotten' man Milan Lalkovic both playing a part in the build-up, and assistant boss Joe Gallen was delighted by their input and that of others who played in unusual positions.

Gallen told the Pompey website: 'Kal’s been looking to go get back into the team and he put in a performance full of hard work. We know he can create and score goal, so it was good to see him provide the assist for Curtis. We’re pleased for both of them.

'I thought that Oli Hawkins looked very solid coming in at centre-back and complemented Nathan Thompson very well. I think that everybody who played has put themselves up for selection on Saturday, which is encouraging. It’s a good headache for the manager to have.'

Gallen said it was important to stop the recent losing run. 'We’re hugely delighted to pick up a win after four games where we haven’t been able to do that. In the past two we haven’t particularly deserved to lose, but the fact is we did and needed to stop that as soon as possible.'

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