SWINDON Town caretaker manager Tommy Wright felt his team regained some dignity following a convincing 3-1 victory over Portsmouth on Tuesday night.

Ex-Pompey striker Brett Pitman scored twice for Town – his second coming via the penalty spot – before Ronan Curtis increased the hosts’ nerves by pulling a goal back late on.

But an injury-time strike from Tyler Smith iced the game for Swindon and ensured the club’s fight for survival in League One goes on for another match day.

Reflecting on a successful first game in charge, Wright credited his players for working hard as well as his goalkeeper for pulling off some timely saves.

Wright said: “We got some dignity back, and against a very good team.

“We had a bit of luck at times, and they had a lot of possession. But I knew they would, so I played that formation where we played a bit deeper and tried to hit them on the counter – that worked quite well.

“The players put a lot of effort in, like they always have done, and sometimes you get that bit of luck. Lee Camp, the goalie, has made a massive difference because he made vital saves at vital times.

“But credit to all of the players because they stood up. Maybe it’s a little too late, but we’ll just have to see if we can go and get a result at MK.”

Central to Town’s success on Tuesday night was the duo of Pitman and Smith up front. The pair have seldom been seen together this term, but in the two games they have played, Wright felt the partnership has worked well.

The caretaker boss revealed his decision to leave Smith on as Town tried to hold onto what they had worked even better than he had originally hoped.

The Sheffield United loanee latched onto Hallam Hope’s tackle to put the game beyond doubt and ease relegation fears.

Wright said: “I thought even on Saturday against Wimbledon – I thought we defended horribly really, but those two up front still looked a threat, especially in the first half an hour.

“I thought if we played that way, it might support them with two inverted wingers in Scott Twine and Jack Payne, and that worked quite well.

“We kept Tyler on at the end to get those balls down the sides and turn people. If you remember against Wimbledon, the first 20 minutes he had a couple of shots blocked there. He had four or five shots blocked tonight before he scored, so I’m pleased for him.”