Danny Cowley said Pompey must remember the fight and character that rescued a point against Plymouth - and use it to their advantage again.
The boss admitted Pompey's display in their 2-2 draw with Plymouth under the Fratton lights was not perfect - but said their effort and attitude was spot on.
And he hailed the part the 'magnificent' crowd did in raising the players after they'd gone 2-1 down to two breakaway goals.
Cowley told the Pompey website: 'It was an important goal because when you lose three games on the trot, you have to try to stop that negative momentum. I thought our first half performance was excellent and I was really pleased with a lot of the things I saw.
'We played with much more energy and intensity, only to concede an equalising goal from absolutely nowhere. Plymouth carry danger on the counter-attack, but it’s an individual error — which happens in football — and we’re a little fragile at the moment in terms of confidence.
'That moment was going to test our mettle, although I was quite pleased with our response, even if it was an erratic and inconsistent display after the break. The bit that I did like was when we went behind — and it was an awful goal to concede — there was fight around the stadium and the crowd were magnificent.
'That showed the character of this club and we went right to the end, showing that it’s hard to beat someone who never gives up. This is a proud city and football club. It was only a point on this occasion, but in the future that might be worth more.
'We’re a new group that’s building relationships and you sometimes need nights like this to bring people closer. We created a lot of chances and probably should have scored more than two than we got, while the attitude and effort was perfect, even if the performance wasn’t.'
Pompey head to Charlton on Saturday in 12th place but without a win in their past five League One outings. The Addicks have also been struggling for form, with only one league win so far.