DES Buckingham has praised the job former Oxford United skipper John Mousinho is doing at Portsmouth.

Mousinho left United a little over a year ago, in order to take his first steps in management.

In his first full season as Portsmouth head coach, the south coast side sit top of Sky Bet League One.

Pompey made an incredible start to the campaign, breaking a club record for unbeaten league games (27), with the run stretching into last season too.

U’s boss Buckingham said: “We’re looking forward to hosting a good game against a team that are top of the table, with an old player from here who is very well thought of around the building and within our fanbase.

“John deserved the opportunity and he’s shown people what he can do. Set plays are key, and Portsmouth are the most effective team in this league from set plays.

“That’s no surprise with the work that he did here, and taking it there.

“They’re at the top of the table because they’ve been the most consistent team in the league.

“We’ll be expecting a tough game against a very good team, with good players, and they’ve shown why they are where they are.

“We need to make sure we get ourselves back in amongst those play-off spots, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to do that, against a high-flying Portsmouth team.”

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United midfielder Cameron Brannagan is also relishing the chance to take on former teammate Mousinho’s side.

He said: “They’re at the top for a reason. They’re a good side and it’ll be a tough game, of course it will.

“We’ve got to be at our best, and we’re looking forward to it.

“I love Mous as a guy, he was a good friend of mine here, and I wished him all the best when he left.

“It should be a good atmosphere and a good game with two good teams.

“It’s something to look forward to, and we want to be on the right side of the result.”

Reflecting on the weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers, Brannagan said: “It was a frustrating weekend and we didn’t start the game well enough.

“We came out and conceded two goals quite quickly, so it’s always hard to get back into the game, especially at their place.

“We were frustrated with that, but the second half was better at times, but it wasn’t good enough on the day.”

He added: “Expectations are very high, but there are 18 games to go, and a lot of points to play for.

“You have to look at the bigger picture, you’re not going to win every game, and you can go through bad spells and good spells, which we have done this season.”