Portsmouth manager John Mousinho is enjoying his side’s early position at the top of the League One table.
Pompey cemented their place at the summit after coming from behind to beat Lincoln 2-1 at Fratton Park.
A Paddy Lane effort and a Reagan Poole header against his old club ensured the hosts maintained their unbeaten start to the season after Hakeeb Adelakun’s opener.
Portsmouth lead the table by a point and Mousinho said: “It is very early in the season, but we would prefer to be here than anywhere else.
“It is a really good thing to have and to hold on to. We look at the league table and enjoy it and we hear the fans singing. We use it as extra motivation.
“I thought it was a professional performance and we controlled the game for large periods.
“The only criticism I have is that we didn’t put the game to bed in the second half, but it would have been very harsh if we hadn’t won the game.
“The noise is always noticeable, so for the crowd to go up after they scored made a massive difference because we know they’re behind us and willing us to win.
“It is a consequence of what the fans have seen here over the last few weeks.”
Striker Colby Bishop’s goals were key for Portsmouth last season, but the scoring burden has been shared around more this term, with a winger and centre-back both netting on this occasion.
“Last season we relied heavily on Colby for his goals and there wasn’t a huge amount beyond that,” said Mousinho.
“The coaching staff have worked with Paddy to get him in behind and score more. It is pleasing to see him do that.
“We need that as Colby isn’t always going to have the opportunities and goals so it is important everyone else chips in.”
Lincoln more than held their own and could have levelled late on but for a stunning Will Norris save and boss Mark Kennedy was full of praise for their performance.
He said: “I thought we were outstanding today. I have been head coach at Lincoln for about 70 games and that is one of the best performances we’ve had. But we’ve come out on the wrong end of the score.
“If we play like that most weeks then we will win loads of games. We were excellent today in multiple areas.”
Adelakun’s freak goal, after the ball was kicked into him, was his first of the season after coming close to leaving in the summer.
Kennedy added: “He’s trained really well.
“He’s been a top pro and I’ve told him from day one that if he comes in and does himself justice, I was genuinely pleased with him.
“I told him in the team talk that he was playing on merit.”
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.
The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.
However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.
Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang.
The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.
Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
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