Boss only focused on Newport test
Pompey flung themselves back into the race for automatic promotion earlier in the week.
A convincing victory at Accrington leaves them six points adrift of third-placed Plymouth ahead of Saturday’s clash with Newport at Fratton Park.
But Paul Cook is not getting carried away by a run of form that has seen 10 points collected from the last 12 available.
And he has encouraged his squad to play with freedom as the 2015/16 campaign approaches the home straight.
The Blues boss said: “It’s easy to look back on the Accrington game and give ourselves a pat on the back.
“But that’s not the way to go forwards – you need to look at yourselves and work out how you can get better.
“So we’re not really concentrating on what we did on Tuesday night and are instead focused on facing Newport.
“We find ourselves in a certain position with 11 games to go – and that’s where we deserve to be.
“When you get to this stage of the season, however, you’ve got to enjoy it and not have any trepidation about what might happen.
“Who cares what other sides are doing? We’ve just got to look after ourselves and enjoy the pressure.
“There are a lot of points to play for and the league table on the final day is not going to tell any lies.”
Pompey now face a Newport side who are 11 points clear of the drop zone, despite failing to win any of their first eight games.
Cook said: “It really looked like they were in relegation trouble when John Sheridan went in there earlier in the season.
“But they’ve had some excellent wins – home and away – since then and now Warren Feeney is in charge and we know they’ll be a handful.”
Watch Cook’s thoughts on the game below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for extended interviews with the manager and Marc McNulty.