Trevor Carson on the fight to beat the drop
The battle to beat the drop from League Two involves plenty of sides.
Pompey – in 19th position – are only three points clear of the bottom two.
But they are also just four points adrift of the top half ahead of Saturday’s trip to Exeter.
And Trevor Carson is happy that there are so many sides fighting it out for survival.
The goalkeeper said: “The more teams that get involved at the bottom the better – and then hopefully we can start to push away.
“We’ve had a few chances to do just that, but haven’t taken enough of them.
“We always say that anyone can beat anyone in this league, so we’ll be looking for three points on Saturday.
“Exeter aren’t a bad side at all – they’ve got some decent players. But if we win then we’ll drag them back into trouble.”
Carson has helped Pompey look more solid in recent weeks, although goals at the other end have now become less frequent.
The 25-year-old said: “We’ve worked a lot on our defensive shape since the new manager came in.
“But we’re still a long way from where we want to be, so there’s plenty more for us to do.
“We’ve kept a few more clean sheets lately, although there are still some silly goals that we’re letting in.
“It’s sod’s law that now we are a bit more solid at the back, we’ve stopped scoring them at the other end.
“Hopefully we can find that right balance soon because time and excuses are running out.”
Pompey are 13/8 with Sky Bet to beat Exeter. Open an account at www.skybet.com/pompey for great offers and to earn money for the club.