Pompey looking up - if only to see where their hosts are
Friday, 30th Jan 2015 22:43 by pompey-fans.com staff

It comes to something when you're having to check 23rd-placed Carlisle's goal difference to make sure there's no real danger of Pompey slipping into the bottom two this weekend.

But such is life when you have gone 10 weeks without a win in League Two - which is exactly Pompey's scenario as they head to face the leaders Wycombe.

A year ago this week a rare win for a Richie Barker side gave Pompey a major boost at Adams Park. Were they to repeat the result, it would be even more of an achievement than that was, coming as it would against an in-form side who have won just over half their 27 games to date.

It wasn't that long ago that Pompey were much closer to the play-off zone than the relegation zone. Not now, but from that fact they must take hope. A run of six or eight games unbeaten is not beyond this squad and that could, just could, get them back into the play-off picture before it is too late.

It's all about momentum but to gain momentum you have to get that first win, and expecting that to happen at Wycombe looks a big ask.

Pompey boss Andy Awford was as blunt as ever in his pre-match assertion that his team needed to perk up.

He told the club website: 'The table doesn’t lie after 26 games and there are no excuses — we are where we are because that’s where we deserve to be. We need everyone together if we’re going to get some wins and start climbing up the league.

'Our confidence levels have obviously been affected, although I have to say that the lads have been fantastic in training this week. They could have been affected by all the speculation that’s been flying around, but they’ve remained very professional.

'Confidence and consistency are the two things we’re striving for — we’ve had some good performances lately and we have to maintain that.'