Marlon Pack has played more of a role in Pompey's season so far than many thought he would - and his intention is to carry on being at the centre of things, literally.
Pack was drafted back into the midfield at the end of September after a quick recovery from a knee injury as John Mousinho tried out various combinations - and he has stayed in the side since coming off the bench and scoring at Ipswich.
Now he wants to stay here and help the Blues try to find some consistency after an up-and-down first 12 games which have brought more losses than wins. Next up for the Blues is a trip to Birmingham City this Saturday,
He told the club website: 'It’s been a pretty relentless schedule and we’ve had some very physical games, but the knee has been fine. I’ve been out on the training pitch and playing every game, getting through the workload that’s required at this level.
'I’m certainly enjoying being back, but my outlook as skipper doesn’t change whether I’m in or out of the side. I had to break into the team because we started so well and now it’s up to me to keep the shirt by contributing on the pitch.
'I feel as though I’ve been consistent enough and am trying to use my experience to help what is still a fairly young group.'
Pack is not overly fazed by last week's losses at home to Coventry and Stoke and said: "We’re only losing by one goal and there have been a few ‘what if’ moments for us recently. We’re not going to be too negative because we’ve been in every game.
'There were times last season when we were comprehensively beaten and that’s almost easier to take – you can hold your hands up and say they were the better team. This division does feel more open – whether that’s the league itself or us becoming more established at this level.
'Now it’s about continuing that progress and trying to have a dominant performance for a whole match, rather than just spells. We’ve picked up some good points away from home so far. We’ve got a tough test at Birmingham this weekend and hopefully you’ll see a positive response from us.'