Portsmouth's remarkable rise under Mousinho

John Mousinho won League One with Portsmouth in his first full season in management

The rise of Portsmouth under boss John Mousinho has been quite remarkable.

Victory on Monday over Watford confirmed another season in the Championship, and promotion last season came after a 12-year absence from the second tier.

For those 12 long years Portsmouth fans yearned for a successful campaign to propel them back to the league in which they felt they belonged, but they always came up just short.

Mousinho arrived at the club midway through the 2022/23 season as a relatively unknown quantity, taking over from the experienced Danny Cowley just one year after gaining his pro licence.

He was still featuring as a player and coach for Oxford United at the time, and his appointment came as a shock to some supporters.

But he was able to deliver that dream for the Pompey support and won the League One title in his first full season in management.

To then go into the Championship for the first time and, despite a shaky start, secure safety with two games to spare, is a commendable achievement.

Portsmouth have been far from perfect this season but their home form has seen them survive.

On the road they have won just three times, but at Fratton Park they have 11 wins and the seventh best home record in the league.

Mousinho has managed to make Fratton a fortress for this team, with every home game feeling like a cup final with an intimidating atmosphere for visiting sides.

That was summed up when Leeds came to Portsmouth in early March and the ground erupted as Colby Bishop ran through and chipped the ball into the net to win the game.

Work-life balance and sacrifice

Mousinho joined Portsmouth from Oxford United where he was in a player/coach role.

Mousinho is an intense character, incredibly dedicated and has committed his life to his job - as many would expect.

But the ability to have a healthy work-life balance when managing a club like Portsmouth seems near impossible as he revealed during an appearance on BBC Radio Solent's "Who Needs Mourinho?" podcast.

"My wife criticises me a lot for taking the laptop to bed and that's something I need to be a bit better at," he said.

"I've found it difficult because of the pressure of the game, you never know when you're going to get another opportunity and you never know when you're going to get another opportunity to be Portsmouth manager.

"My wife and I, if we can go out, I'm usually scribbling a couple of tactical bits on napkins which is nonsense but I'm not sure why I do it. I don't list that as a strength."

However back in December he said the sacrifice is something he is prepared for, opening up about how the busy Christmas period was for him and his family.

"You don't get a chance to sit down and relax, that's part of the business and we're not going to cry about it." he told BBC Sport.

"If you want to get into the industry and you want the highs of winning and the glory that came with last season then you have to make sacrifices and you have to get on with it.

"No-one is forcing us to do it and it's our choice. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for us and if you want a bit of time off over Christmas, don't be in football!"

Mousinho eyes 'next building block'

John Mousinho and Richard Hughes signed new deals in late 2024

Straight after victory over Watford was confirmed Portsmouth's Championship status for another season, Mousinho was looking forward.

The 38-year-old will get the chance over the summer to add to his squad and prepare themselves for another gruelling campaign in the Championship.

"It's a brilliant achievement, but it is just that," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"It's the next building block in terms of where we need to go next as a football club to make sure that we establish ourselves as a Championship side.

"When we spoke this time last season, we set the goal of the most important thing being that we were still in the Championship.

"That gives us another year in terms of the finances to build, keeping hold of players and going again to improve on where we've been this year."

Mousinho and sporting director Richard Hughes agreed extensions to their long-term contracts in September 2024.

Chairman Michael Eisner said at the time that they were a partnership he believed in and they were "totally aligned to their long-term strategy."

In their final two games of the season, Portsmouth face Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday, 26 April before hosting Hull City on the final day.

Then after a break, Mousinho, Hughes and the team will begin planning for another season in the Championship, with the added bonus of a South Coast derby with relegated Southampton in the second tier.