Make or break time for Pompey - analysis

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Saturday was probably the only occasion this season when Pompey have gone away from home and deserved to win the game, yet ended up losing it.

There were two almost identical sitters for Connor Ogilvie and Callum Lang respectively in the first half.

Colby Bishop was called marginally offside in the second and that left 2,500 of our fans completely stunned as to how we didn't come away with a point at the very, very least.

But the answer is actually quite a straightforward one - Pompey didn't put it in the back of the net and therein lies the difference.

Portsmouth FC manager John Mousinho during the Championship match between Hull City and PortsmouthImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

John Mousinho's Portsmouth are currently 20th in the Championship table

Sheffield United did to Pompey what Pompey did to a number of League One sides last season en route to promotion.

That is, finding a way to win the game even when you haven't played particularly well.

A win on Saturday wouldn't perhaps have relieved any pressure on Tuesday night - which remains a colossally important game at Fratton Park - but it would have been one almighty confidence boost heading into it.

These next six matches will now define Pompey's season. It is seriously make or break.

At the time of writing, 20th-placed Pompey play 24th, 23rd and tomorrow night, 19th-placed Cardiff all within this next fixture cluster.

We've got to win at least four of those six games - and after a brief glance at the fixture list of now 15 to go, Pompey have 14 winnable matches.

That has to be the attitude.

It's bizarre to think that, given how tame in front of goal we have appeared of late, Pompey remain the top scorers of any other side in and around them by quite some distance and have outscored every other side in the bottom half.

John Mousinho's side can't afford to go five without a win by 10pm tomorrow night.

Three points would be the most welcome start to such a crucial period in Pompey's hunt for survival.

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