Joe Gallen says Pompey are capable of going on the sort of run they need to get right back in the running for automatic promotion.

The Blues will have to be pretty relentless between now and the end of the season if they are to force their way into the top two in the final standings.

But they got March off to the perfect start with a 5-1 hammering of relegation candidates Bradford at Fratton, with Gareth Evans (penalty), Tom Naylor, Jamal Lowe and Ben Close (2) on target.

Victories for Luton, Barnsley and Sunderland meant Pompey's position within the top four was not altered but the win will give them new confidence - and actually takes their unbeaten league run to six games.

Assistant boss Gallen said: 'Lots have decisions haven’t been going our way in the past few months — penalties, free-kicks, disallowed goals. So I just get a feeling that things are changing for us because even the other night at Bury there was a question mark over Close’s free-kick that we scored from.

'Now we’ve been given a penalty and that’s what got us going, so hopefully the luck is starting to turn for us. We’re in a really good place at the moment, while maybe a few weeks ago things were wobbling a bit.

'Going to Wembley and hearing the fans singing about it resulted in a really positive stadium, although it’s up to the players to get them feeling like that. We put on a really good attacking performance. We want them to get the ball down and play through midfield, and are constantly telling them that.

'The lads did that to great effect at times. It was exactly what we’ve asked them to do, although it does require confidence, which seems to be there now. We know we have to go on a run and that’s something we’re certainly capable of, so hopefully this is the start.'

Next for Popey comes a vital away game - at Charlton next Saturday 5.30pm). That's followed by a midweek visit to Walsall.

Pompey: MacGillivray; Thompson (Walkes 77), Burgess, Clarke (Donohue 84), Brown; Naylor; Lowe, Evans (c), Close, Curtis; Hawkins (Vaughan 69). Subs not used: Bass, Haunstrup, Solomon-Otabor, Pitman.

Referee: Oliver Langford

Attendance: 17,657 (493 away fans)

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