Kenny Jackett has urged his Portsmouth players to keep the foot on the gas as they enter a crucial stage of the season, as reported by the official club site.
Pompey are hunting a spot in the Championship, but have also reached the Leasing.com Trophy final where League Two Salford await, as well as welcoming Arsenal to Fratton Park in the FA Cup.
They have won 11 of their last 13 matches, but have suffered two defeats in three matches, going down to promotion rivals Fleetwood and Coventry. That’s prompted Jackett to issue a rallying cry ahead of home matches against MK Dons and Rochdale.
“We want to keep doing well in our home games, but you also can’t lose ground in those away matches,” said the former Millwall boss.
“There are some of our promotion rivals to play on the road and matches against lower placed sides here at Fratton Park. But you can’t always predict which ones are going to be harder and they’re all opportunities for us to collect points.
“It’s a big seven days for us now and we should enjoy the challenge while trying to make sure the performances and results are what we’re looking for.”
Six of their next seven matches are at Fratton Park, where they’ll be hoping to add enough points to their tally to climb back into the top six, a position they conceded this weekend after losing 1-0 to Fleetwood.
Our View
Portsmouth had a shaky start to the season, but their recent form has been scintillating.
However, their cup exploits seem to have contributed to two defeats of late and that will be a worry. The game against Arsenal will be a big day for them, as will the chance to retain the EFL Trophy, but fans will hope it doesn’t distract from their ultimate goal.
There’s a feeling that their Wembley trip last season derailed their promotion push and they have to be careful not to let history repeat itself.
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