John Mousinho: Portsmouth boss turns attention to next season with play-off hopes over

Portsmouth's ambitious push for a play-off place has run out of steam despite an improved record under new head coach John Mousinho

Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho says he is now focused on building the team for the 2023-24 League One season.

His side beat Accrington Stanley 1-0 at Fratton Park on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run to nine games.

But despite the victory, a string of draws through mid-April saw eighth-placed Pompey fall behind in the race for one of the final play-off spots.

They are seven points adrift of Derby in sixth and cannot finish any higher than seventh with two games left.

"Everything is focused now on building for next season," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent after the Accrington match.

"Part of the team selection in these final games will be about that as well - we have to think about that now."

Next season will be Portsmouth's seventh consecutive campaign in the third tier of English football.

Mousinho - who has led the Blues to 10 wins, seven draws and four losses since taking over in January - said earlier this month that although a top-six finish would be difficult, their play-off hopes were 'still alive.'

The head coach says he will make small changes to the squad in their final two games this season, but the goal remains the same: "We will approach them in the same way as we always do, we will try and win.

"There is a pressure to win games and we put that upon ourselves, let alone the Portsmouth fans, so we need to make sure we do that and try and win these last two.

"But whilst we do it we want to try and create more, maybe be a bit more positive and front footed."

Portsmouth travel to play-off hopefuls Derby on Saturday and will close out the season at home against ninth-placed Wycombe on Sunday, 7 May.