Boss hoping to finish on a high
Pompey need seven points from the final five fixtures to better last season’s tally of 59.
They will also be looking to finish higher than the 13th place managed in the 2013/14 campaign.
Victory at Morecambe this weekend will go a long way to helping them achieve both, with three points enough to climb above the Shrimps in the League Two table.
Both sides now appear to be playing for pride only, but Andy Awford insists that his troops will still be fighting until the end.
The Blues boss said: “This club’s had a few years of decline in terms of league position, so it would be nice to stop that and put a spike in the graph going in the other direction.
“We’re just aiming to get as many points as we can – if that’s above last year, then great.
“Morecambe have had a really good season, although haven’t won any of their last five at home, so that might add a bit of pressure.
“They’ll undoubtedly be wanting to put that right, but it’s a good opportunity for us to go there and collect some points.
“They soak up pressure well and look to hit you, so that’s something we’ll have to be aware of, but I’m more concerned with what we do.
“If we perform to the same level we showed for 75 minutes at Carlisle and the second half against Plymouth over Easter, then I’m confident we can do well.”
Centre-back Nyron Nosworthy received plenty of plaudits for his performance in Monday’s victory over Plymouth and Awford added to the praise.
He said: “The timing of the injuries we suffered didn’t leave us much time to bring people in during the loan window.
“But I knew that I was signing a good character – and I think that shone through against Plymouth.
“He stood up to everything they threw at us very well and I was really pleased with how he played.”
Pompey are 6/4 favourites with Sky Bet to win at Morecambe. Bet at www.skybet.com/pompey to increase our chances of claiming £250,000 from the Sky Bet Transfer Fund.