'Next five games at Fratton Park define Pompey's season'

Portsmouth remain second from bottom in the Championship with just five wins this season

Usually I have little trouble moving on from a defeat the morning after the night before - but, for one reason or another, I woke up after the Blackburn game as infuriated as I was at times during the match.

Perhaps it's the minimal sleep and long journey to Lancashire and back playing a part, but reading the referee's explanation of his decision making means I remain seething as I write.

We were perfectly placed to witness the blatant push on Bishop, as described by BBC commentator Andy Moon, and, equally, in full view of the clattering of Callum Lang from goalkeeper Aynsley Pears - which Farai Hallam recounted as a 'coming together' despite his own assistant formulating the opinion shared by all of us, that it was indeed a penalty.

I counter all of that by saying that we must first look at ourselves.

Away from home, we don't create enough, we don't defend well enough - and Pompey actually consistently end up writing their own script.

Decisions going against us are neither where Pompey's problems start or end but for a team battling at the bottom end, it certainly compounds the struggle.

To finish - a word on the window.

There's plenty of discourse regarding the strengthening of teams around us but, while the concern is palpable that Pompey will be left behind, not every deal works out exactly as planned.

We have lived and breathed that this season and last.

What is for sure - perhaps exasperatingly so - is I don't think it will take a lot for Pompey to steer clear of relegation worries in terms of incomings in these next two weeks.

No-one is asking for irrational spending, all that is expected is that the squad is bolstered to tackle 21 games head on - otherwise a euphoric second tier return after a 12-year absence could be over.

I think we'll probably know by the Burnley game - four of the next five games at Fratton Park now simply define Pompey's season.

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