Pompey have made moves to end the days when opposition teams are fired up before they take on the Blues.

Alterations to the dressing room areas and adjoining corridors are aimed at taking pre-match pressure off Pompey's players and putting it all on the visitors.

Awford explained to The News: Awford said: ‘The corridor from the home team dressing room to the tunnel was full of memorabilia of the glory days of winning the FA Cup. It’s brilliant, it’s our history but I just felt that could psychologically be a hindrance to our own players.

‘We are not a Premier League or Championship club, we are where we are and I felt it was a bit much for our players to see every day. And let’s not forget they are there every day to change for training and then on a match day.

‘So I had them all taken down with the wall instead painted blue and white. There was also a particular sign when you came out of the away dressing room which said ‘Fortress Fratton’ — if that doesn’t get away teams going then nothing will.

‘So I have moved that. It’s just a blank white wall now when you come out of that away dressing room. A couple of opposition teams when they beat us last year etched their names into it as if to say “so much for Fortress Fratton, we have beat you”.

‘If it helps to remove it then do it. Hopefully that will be of benefit to us. Clubs were coming down here to Pompey, their big day out, 18,000 people, big changing room, it was lovely. Then they see the sign and then they go out and there’s the roar. They are going to be revved up.

‘No wonder they were up for it a bit more than they should have been. So we have tried to play it down and make it a normal day for the away teams rather than it being a great, big event.’

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