Brett Pitman believes Pompey's tough run of fixtures will help their young players mature.

He returned to the line-up at Oldham on Saturday and made a world of difference, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win.

The captain and top scorer told the club website: 'We are a young side and I like to think that the extra bit of experience I can offer helped us on this occasion.

'There are those little things that most people perhaps don’t notice, like knowing when to slow the game down. You only add those things by playing a lot of matches and our lads will come out the other side of this run better for the experience.'

Pitman was delighted to mark his return after a month out with two goals. He told the site: 'I’m pleased of course. But it was more pleasing just to come away with all three points.

'Everyone knew their keeper took chances and Connor almost took advantage of that before I was able to. That made it 2-0 and it was massive for us.'

Pitman is likely to lead the line when Pompey host Oxford on Sunday.

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