Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has been told by his manager to expect more mistakes after a high-profile error in Portsmouth's 4-1 defeat to Rotherham on Saturday.
Portsmouth reacted well to going behind by equalising in a game that could have seen them jump into the League One play-offs had they won.
However, Bazunu couldn't hold onto a speculative 25-yard effort shortly afterwards, dropping it under no pressure to prompt a penalty area scramble before Michael Smith converted from close range.
Seven minutes later the 2-1 deficit had turned into 4-1, and Pompey were beaten to continue a poor run of one win in 11 in all competitions.
After the game, Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley offered no excuses for City prospect Bazunu, but insisted his mistake wasn't the reason for their big defeat.
"I just think it is a shot from distance that was really easy for Gavin to claim," he said.
"He might have just misread it, he might have been looking to catch it and then counter too quickly. I don’t know, I’d have to ask him.
"We obviously, like always, go through it in forensic detail. He then thought he got away with it, it bounced around the box but we didn’t, they scored.
"I don’t want to get fixated on that because that isn’t the reason we lost. The reason we lost was our response after conceding that goal."
Offering support to Bazunu, Cowley backed the City man to put the error behind him and respond positively.
Cowley said: "He’s been excellent. Good teammates dig their mates out of difficult moments. When you make a mistake, you are hoping that they are going to go and respond for him but we weren’t able to find the inspiration to do that.
"He’s a boy who is incredibly focused, very, very professional, got an unbelievable mindset and made a mistake. He’ll get over it.
"He is a tough boy and he’s on a pathway to success, there is absolutely no doubt about that. This won’t be the first mistake he makes and it won’t be the last. That is for sure."
