Portsmouth still have ‘plenty of work’ to do in their quest for Championship survival but are now in a ‘great position’, BBC reporter Andrew Moon believes.
Portsmouth won 2-0 away at Oxford United over the weekend. Andre Dozzell and Mark O’Mahony got Pompey’s goals at the Kassam Stadium.
The Hampshire outfit are now seven points above the drop zone. They have 13 fixtures left of this season to play.
Moon has delivered his verdict and has written for BBC Sport: “Finally, Portsmouth have won a game on the road and – incredibly – that was their first clean sheet away from home all season. They probably edged a game that wasn’t a great spectacle for the neutral. The opening goal, a mad goalmouth scramble, summed it up.“
He added: “The squad is better equipped to cope with these losses than before January. Hayden Matthews was outstanding filling in for Conor Shaughnessy. Portsmouth are seven points clear of the bottom three with a favourable run-in. There’s still plenty of work to do to ensure survival but given where they were in October, it’s a great position to be in.”
Portsmouth survival latest
Portsmouth have built a much needed cushion between them and the drop zone.
Plymouth Argyle, Luton Town and Derby County currently make up the bottom three.
As Moon alluded to, they can’t put their feet up yet though and need to keep their momentum going to ensure they stay up.
Pompey will be in confident mood after their recent wins and showed good character against Oxford United to secure a crucial three points.
John Mousinho’s side were promoted from League One last year after winning the title and went up along with Derby County and Oxford United.
They delved into the January window to bring in defenders Rob Atkinson, Hayden Matthews and Cohen Bramall in an attempt to tighten things up at the back.
Portsmouth also acquired goalkeeper Ben Killip from Barnsley to provide some depth between the sticks.
Further up the pitch, Thomas Waddingham, Kaide Gordon and Adil Aouchiche have arrived to add more competition to their attacking ranks.
Portsmouth also cut ties with the likes of Will Norris, Owen Moxon and Elias Sorensen, among others, to free up space and funds to pave the way for their new arrivals.
What now for Portsmouth?
Next up is a home clash against QPR as they hunt for another victory.
Their upcoming opponents won 4-0 against John Eustace’s Derby County in their last outing and aren’t far off the play-offs.
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