Ryley Towler's honest Portsmouth admission on the 30 minutes which condemned him to Blues first-team exile

And he believes crucial lessons learnt from his painful Ellis Harrison encounter have already made him a better player.

The central defender suffered the ignominy of being taken off at half-time in March’s visit of Port Vale.

Tormented at the hands of former Blues striker Harrison, Towler’s impressive run of 15 matches was instantly cut short.

Subsequently dropped from the side for the next five fixtures, he also spent two games omitted from John Mousinho’s squad as he was handed time to contemplate.

Now restored to Pompey’s side, the 20-year-old featured in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Derby, helping them to four points from two matches.

He told The News: ‘That’s the first time I’ve played against Ellis Harrison and it was tough.

‘I did 45 minutes, they weren’t the best 45 minutes, and I came out. Our other central defenders are quality players and took their chance, so you're just got to be ready to come back in and try to play well.

‘I’m still learning my trade and I’m still only young. It was actually 30 minutes and you can’t let those 30 minutes affect you.

‘I’ve definitely learnt from that. Just to be more aggressive, don’t drop too much. I probably did against him (Harrison) and let him come onto the ball.

‘I should have stayed high, even if it goes in behind, to be aggressive, be confident, and to go and win the ball. They’e all things I have taken from that.

‘It’s about how you respond and when you come back into the team you’ve got to be ready.

‘As a player, I try not to get too down, not to get too high. Obviously I wasn’t at my best (against Port Vale), but you aren’t going to play well every game.

‘That’s football – and I’m learning all the time.’

Towler has made 19 appearances and scored twice since his arrival from Bristol City in January.

He has established an instant rapport with the Fratton faithful, many of which questioned his exclusion following his difficulty against Port Vale.

Yet the defender insists he understood the decision – and is now back in the first-team frame partnering Di’Shon Bernard.

Towler added: ‘You’re going to be in and out of the team, you have got to keep working hard and to try getting back in, that’s how football is.

‘I came out and obviously you have players like Clark, Sean and Di’Shon challenging for those centre-half positions, so you must graft away to get back in.

‘It has happened before to you. You come out and have to find a way back in, which I managed against Accrington, and we got a good result.

‘Just get your head down and keep working hard.’