Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley's strike-force message as on-loan Ipswich forward ends extended wait for a goal

The Pompey boss insisted the ‘bigger picture’ is more important than making judgements on individual goal stats.

And a key part of that is the standards that are set on a daily basis in training and the roles being asked of his players.

The Blues entered the new season with an exciting new forward department that went a long way in helping Pompey burst out of the blocks in League One.

Colby Bishop, Dane Scarlett and Joe Pigott all hit the ground running as they settled well into their new surroundings.

But while the goals have continued to flow for former Accrington man Bishop, who now has 10 in all competitions, the back of the net is something that his fellow front men have struggled with in recent weeks.

Pigott’s poacher’s finish after coming on as a second-half substitute against Hereford on Friday night was just his third of the season and ended a run of 11 games without a goal.

Regular and consistent game time has no doubt been a factor in the on-loan Ipswich man’s record.

Yet Spurs youngster Scarlett remains without a goal in nine – despite starting all but one of those matches.

Injuries to key personnel in recent weeks will have contributed to those figures, with Tom Lowery’s absence since mid-September impacting Pompey’s attracting threat.

But Cowley remains unperturbed as he takes in many factors, adding that’s it’s rare for a strike force to being firing on all cylinders at the exact same time.

He told The News: ‘Colby’s been scoring regularly and we’re all pleased with his return up to this point.

‘Dane is going to be a special player. He’s only 18.

‘And Joe has probably had limited opportunities because of the way Colby and Dane have played.

‘In all my years as a football manager, it’s very difficult to have all three (firing simultaneously).

‘I find it really difficult to remember having all three or four forwards all delivering goals at the same time.

‘That’s just the nature of it.

‘I always think, whenever people talk of a player being successful or not, they don’t always talk about the whole context or the greater picture.

‘Sometimes there can be a player who hasn’t had the game time on the pitch that perhaps they would have liked or we would have wanted.

‘Yet they can still have a fundamental role in the team because they are driving the standards of the two that are playing – and if they’re training hard every day, are hot on their heels, then this competition can really drive the standards and improve the performance of the team.

‘Sometimes, it’s important to look at the bigger picture.’