Boss looks ahead to Crawley clash
Pompey had to wait until April before they finally recorded three successive league wins last season.
But victory over Crawley on Saturday would see them achieve that feat just a few weeks into the current campaign.
Paul Cook’s men are looking to build on their 2-0 home defeat of Colchester and last week’s triumph at Exeter.
And he admits that completing a treble would prove to be a big boon as Pompey try to deliver success for their supporters.
The Blues boss said: “It would kick-start our season in a big way.
“Going into the Colchester game, we were a little bit down and flat, but now we’ve had a couple of wins.
“The reality is that we’re starting to find our feet in terms of patterns of play and we’re working hard on that in training.
“We all just want to win – and nobody is really that bothered by what formation we play or who scores the goals.
“Our fans just want to come to Fratton Park on a Saturday and see us collect three points. It’s the job of me and the players to make sure that happens.
“But we need to be a bit cuter and cleverer and prepare for all eventualities because we can’t be sure how sides will line up against us.”
Crawley visit Fratton Park sitting ninth in the League Two table and are only behind Pompey on goal difference.
“You look at their manager Dermot Drummy’s background at Arsenal and Chelsea, and you realise you’re taking on someone who knows the game.
“But we’re just concentrating on our own performance and after the game we’ll have a drink, wish them well and move on to the next one.”
Cook brought in Dominic Hyam on loan from Reading on transfer deadline day, although the defender is currently away on Scotland under-21 international duty.
The other bit of business saw Adam Barton head north to sign for Partick Thistle for an undisclosed fee.
Cook said: “We did our best to bring in one or two and were close to a deal that we couldn’t quite get over the line, but that’s the way it is.
“We got offered a transfer fee for Adam and he was presented with a three-year deal up in Scotland.
“His contract here was up at the end of the season, so we let him speak to the club and he felt it was a move he wanted to make. We didn’t want to hold him back.
“Dom is a young lad who has progressed his career really well and it will be a great experience for him coming here. We look forward to working with him when he returns from international duty.”
Watch Cook’s thoughts on the game below or subscribe to Pompey PlayerHD for full pre-Crawley content.