Pompey’s ascent to within touching distance of the play-offs might have come as a surprise to some.
But Brett Pitman is certainly not shocked to see them declaring their League One promotion credentials.
The Blues have collected a maximum haul from four of their past five contests and are now just three points outside the top six.
But that does not mean Pompey will be feeling complacent ahead of Saturday’s clash with a Bury side sitting at the foot of the tale.
Pompey’s leading marksman said: “The team has evolved and I think our results, performances and number of goals against reflect the work we’ve been doing on the training ground.
“We’re very organised and have looked dangerous on the counter-attack, so that bodes well for the rest of the season.
"I think we should be pushing for a place in the play-offs and so it doesn’t surprise me that we’re up there."
“There are probably only a couple of teams – Wigan and Blackburn – that we’ve felt are ahead of us. The rest we’ve deserved to beat, even when we haven’t.
“I think we should be pushing for a place in the play-offs and so it doesn’t surprise me that we’re up there.
“But any team can beat any other, so just because we’re facing a team at the bottom it doesn’t make it any easier.
“We do fancy ourselves at Fratton Park, though, and getting the crowd behind us can be a big advantage.”
Pitman has had a couple of spells out injured this term and returned from a hamstring problem to face Charlton last week.
The Blues skipper said: “It’s been a little bit stop-start and I suppose that has been frustrating for me.
“I’ve tended to score most of the times that I’ve played, so I want to be out on the pitch as much as possible.
“But these things happen and the most important thing is that – whoever plays – we keep winning matches.”