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Lessons learned by Pompey? Let's find out

Pompey need to show they have learned the lessons of last season when they host Stevenage this weekend.

Too often last season the Blues got momentum with a good away win or a couple of victories in a row - only to lose their next game when everyone was expecting a win.

Defender Matt Clarke warmed up for Stevenage's visit to Fratton by warning that was a habit they must leave behind.

Pompey go into the game in fourth spot after three wins in four in the league, just two points behind third-placed Doncaster. Stevenage might be 16th but they're only three points behind 10th-place Blackpool in a tightly-packed mid-table.

Clarke told the Pompey website: 'There were times last season when we didn’t really perform following a big game, so we need to stay focused. You have to treat each one as if you are playing Plymouth or Luton and give them all the same importance.

'Teams who come to Fratton Park and know they’re not going to have much of the ball will often change the way they play. They want to make life difficult for us and some have got success from that, so we have to up our game by 10 per cent in order to break them down.

'But we all know what our jobs are in the team and believe that if we perform to the levels we can, then we’ll get the job done. As a defensive unit we know what we’ve got to do and we want to be a solid unit to give the attacking players more creative freedom.”

Conor Chaplin is available again after a one-match ban but Michael Smith is set to continue up front in a probably-unchanged team.

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