Pompey are approaching the midway point of the 2017/18 campaign.
They will have faced every League One side following Saturday’s trip to take on high-flying Shrewsbury.
And the half-term report is certainly an encouraging one for Kenny Jackett’s troops, who lie just outside the play-off spots.
He concedes that his team have often had to battle for points, although is pleased at the progress they have made.
The Blues boss said: “We’ve had a lot of close games. We were disappointed with the Oxford result in August, but have come a long way since then.
“There were large spells of the Blackburn match when we were in it, but by the end they were the better side.
"Being able to impose yourself on teams is easy to say, but hard to do."
“Aside from that, it’s been a very tight and competitive division. Being able to impose yourself on teams is easy to say, but hard to do.
“We’re working towards being a decent side in this league. Are we completely convincing all of the time? Maybe not, but we feel we’re close.
“The attitude of our players is good and they’re very hungry. Attitude, body language, desire and spirit – we need those in this period when you can pick up a lot of points in a short amount of time.”
Pompey will look to boost their promotion credentials further by seeing off second-placed Shrewsbury this weekend.
Jackett said: “After this one we’ll have played everyone once and we’re looking forward to the game.
“Shrewsbury have done exceptionally well and are one of the teams above us in the table. Their goals against total is outstanding.
“But we’re on a good run at the moment and have to make sure that we capitalise on our strengths, while there are also things we need to add to our game.
“That will always be the case and we’ve worked hard on the training ground on things where we can do better.”