You'd have got long odds after the first three games of the season on Pompey being anywhere near the automatic promotion places early in the season.

But after four wins that have banished the memory of those struggles of the opening trio of matches, they are second, with only old foes Plymouth in front of them.

Now they head to Accrington Stanley, one of their fellow play-off losers last season, looking for a fifth straight win, knowing such an outcome could put them top.

Left-back Enda Stevens says there's confidence running through the camp but acknowledges they must not get carried away by a run which has seen them beat Colchester, Exeter, Crawley and Wycombe, scoring 10 goals in the process.

Stevens told the club website: 'We’ve gained a lot of confidence from our recent run of results and hopefully we can keep that going. Wins are wins — you get three points for each one and that’s all that matters. We just need to make sure we keep up that level of performance.

'We’ve been playing with a lot more tempo and fewer passes around the back to put pressure on our opponents. It lifts the crowd. It’s something we’ve been working on a lot in training. We’re sticking to the game-plan and that seems to be working.

'We’re not going to get too carried away, though, because there’s still a long, long way to go this season. It’s important that we stay focused and just take each game as it comes along.'

Curtis Main is unlikely to feature after sustaining a head injury against Wycombe, but Matt Clarke is pushing for a return in defence, though is unlikely to split up Christian Burgess and Tom Davies's blossoming partnership.

Accrington go into the game in 16th spot, with two wins and three draws from their opening seven games.

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