Boss looks ahead to Wycombe test
Successive defeats look to have put paid to Pompey’s hopes of achieving automatic promotion.
But with a League Two play-off place yet to be secured, Paul Cook knows there is no time to lick their wounds.
Victory over Wycombe on Saturday could be enough to guarantee a spot in the end-of-season lottery.
There are still three more games to play after that, but Cook is not looking past this weekend.
The Blues boss said: “We’re all disappointed after what happened at York on Tuesday night and the emphasis now is on winning games to cement a play-off place rather than an automatic place.
“I’m not being defeatist, but our level of performance has offered so much and delivered so little at times.
“That’s disappointing, but it is what it is and it makes Saturday’s game vitally important for us.
“Securing three points will go a long way to being in the play-offs, so we’re just concentrating on facing Wycombe and seeing what that brings.
“We’ve got to regroup and look to achieve something that we set out to do at the start of the season.”
Wycombe currently sit just outside the top seven and will be desperate for a win at Fratton Park to close the gap.
Cook said: “Gareth Ainsworth’s done a fantastic job and he manages to get every last breath out of his players.
“They’ve still got a very realistic chance of finishing in the play-offs this season and it will be what they deserve.
“They don’t leave anything out on the pitch – they gave him everything that they’ve got. So it’s going to be a difficult game.
“But it’s one that we’re very much looking forward to in front of a big crowd and on a pitch that’s in great condition.”
Watch Cook’s thoughts on the game below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for extended interviews with the manager and Marc McNulty.