'We worked on it for the first time on Friday': How Portsmouth boss' Plan B surprised his players as well as MK Dons

And with the result being a place in the FA Cup’s Third Round, Michael Morrison is adamant such encouraging beginnings auger well for the Blues.

For the first time this season, Pompey lined up with a back three on Saturday as Liam Manning’s side visited Fratton Park.

There were 22 minutes at Ipswich in the Papa John’s Trophy in midweek, which Morrison featured in, yet this was the maiden occasion for a starting XI.

The veteran defender revealed the Blues worked on it for the first time in training on Friday – while warmed-up as a back four before kick-off to fool the Dons.

Now he believes Cowley’s men are armed with a precious new weapon in their armoury.

He told The News: ‘It was a good time to trial it at Ipswich, then we used it again on Saturday.

‘It makes us flexible, probably less predictable for teams shaping up against us. They will be questioned whether we’re going to play a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2. That's a really good string to have to our bow.

‘Whether we stick with it or not, it’s nice to have that in our armoury if and when we choose to use it. I’m sure it will be worked on and used against different teams when the manager feels it right.

‘The manager swung it together on Tuesday, he had it in mind before the Ipswich game to go that way for 30 minutes, then we worked a bit on it in training on Friday.

‘In the warm-up, we also went with a four to try to keep it under our hats as much as possible.

‘You don’t want to be predictable. Whenever we’re trying to look at other teams and they play the same style or the same formation all the time, you can pick up little habits they have.’

Morrison was employed on the right of a back three also containing Sean Raggett and Clark Robertson.

It’s a role he performed at the end of last season under Reading boss Paul Ince, so is entirely familiar with the requirements facing the Blues.

He added: ‘We have players that can play that way and I think it makes us really aggressive from set-pieces as well.

‘Nothing really changes in terms of the principles of what we are trying to do. We are pressing and what we want to do around the box with the ball and against the ball stays the same.

‘It just gives you maybe a little more flexibility with the ball, as we saw with Reeco’s goal where the third man running, with two midfielders linking up together (Jay Mingi and Hackett) and it worked.’