Matt Tubs and Ben Chorley provide Andy Awford with his injury worries ahead of another vital Fratton Park clash this weekend.

The striker and defender have given the manager cause for hope that they'll both be available to face Exeter but both will need checks before they can be named in the squad.

Pompey go into the game on the back of a three-game unbeaten run which has brought three clean sheets but only one goal, and Awford insists there's no reason his side can't be attacking even with their new-found defensive stability in place.

On the injury front, Awford told the club website: 'We’ll have a check on Matt after the knock he got at Dagenham, but we think he’ll be fine. We’re also keeping our fingers crossed that Ben will be okay after he returned to training.'

The Pompey boss seems set to keep the wing-back system that has served him well of late and says everyone in the system has a role to play in helping to defend.

He told the website: 'I’d rather win 5-4 than draw 0-0, but we needed some stability — and that’s not just down to the back three and the goalkeeper. The wing-backs have worked hard, while Danny Hollands and James Dunne are prepared to do the horrible stuff.

'Jed Wallace has also been putting a shift in defensively, which isn’t the strongest part of his game. And the front two have been closing down quickly and stopping opposing teams from getting at us.

'But a back three isn’t a defensive system — we created a lot of chances against Wycombe and Hartlepool recently and I’m sure we will against Exeter. Hopefully we can take one or two of those opportunities and end up with all three points.'

Pompey will take on an Exeter side who sit ninth in League Two and are just three points off the play-off spots.

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