Keeper Trevor Carson believes Pompey are gradually sorting out their defensive frailties - but says they still have work to do at the back as they head to Exeter.

A clean sheet at Wycombe at the end of January was a big step in the right direction - although some of that good work was undone by the letting-in of a soft goal that spelled defeat at home to Torquay.

Carson told the club website: 'We’ve worked a lot on our defensive shape since the new manager came in. But we’re still a long way from where we want to be, so there’s plenty more for us to do.

'We’ve kept a few more clean sheets lately, although there are still some silly goals that we’re letting in. It’s sod’s law that now we are a bit more solid at the back, we’ve stopped scoring them at the other end.

'Hopefully we can find that right balance soon because time and excuses are running out.'

Carson says Pompey know they have a battle on their hands to keep out of relegation trouble, making some return from the trip to Devon vital.

He said: 'The more teams that get involved at the bottom the better — and then hopefully we can start to push away. We’ve had a few chances to do just that, but haven’t taken enough of them.

'We always say that anyone can beat anyone in this league, so we’ll be looking for three points on Saturday. Exeter aren’t a bad side at all — they’ve got some decent players. But if we win then we’ll drag them back into trouble.'

What is Pompey's problem? Inconsistency? A squad that's simply not good enough? Complacency? Or something else? Discuss it on the forum.

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