Skipper believes Blues are starting to gel
It has been three weeks since Fratton Park last hosted a match.
Since losing to Chesterfield at the end of August, Pompey have collected four points from trips to Cheltenham and Burton and progressed in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy at Torquay.
But the Blues are back at home on Saturday, with high-flying Fleetwood visiting the south coast.
And Johnny Ertl believes Pompey are starting to see the benefits of their summer overhaul.
The Blues skipper said: “It’s a hard job to bring all the players together, but there is a good spirit here and it’s a real community club.
“We’ve got a management team who know Pompey inside out and we have some great characters in the squad.
“We could have had more points by now, but it has been a work in progress with a whole new squad.
“It seems like ages ago when we last played at Fratton Park. But the display in the second half against Chesterfield – when we only had 10 men – was very encouraging.”
Pompey have won just one of their three Fratton fixtures this term and Ertl knows it will not be easy against third-placed Fleetwood.
He said: “They’ve spent a lot of money and we know they have good players who have played in higher leagues.
“We know their strengths, but we’re at home and if we play with energy then we can get a good result.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but we need to make sure we win our home games and will be looking to put in a great performance on Saturday.
“We’re unbeaten in three matches now and we want that run to continue.”