There was not much to separate Pompey and Doncaster at the weekend – except for the statistic that matters the most.
And Kenny Jackett knows his side need to edge those close contests if they are going to enjoy a successful season.
Next up is a midweek trip to Gillingham, with a longer journey to Sunderland following on Saturday.
It is the start of a hectic run of fixtures over the next few weeks and Jackett is looking for improvements.
The Blues boss said: “We knew this schedule was waiting for us and we’ve been ready for this run of games.
“After a defeat on Saturday – despite a very close contest – we’re looking to bounce back against a Gillingham side who have started well.
“I watched a number of games from our division on Sunday – mainly our upcoming opponents – and a lot of them were very tight.
“The consistent sides will edge those, but it’s not easy and you have to adapt to facing different types of style.
“Doncaster were different to MK Dons and Gillingham will be different again, so we have to deal with that.
“But we have confidence in the ability of the group of players we have here and while we shouldn’t underestimate any opponent, we shouldn’t overestimate them either.
“We’re good enough to beat anyone if we get our own performance right and it’s important to believe that.”
Ellis Harrison will not be involved at Priestfield on Tuesday evening after limping off against Doncaster with a hamstring problem.
Jackett said: “He’ll be out for at least a couple of weeks. He’s having a scan and we’ll be able to see exactly where he is.
“It’s disappointing, although it means there will be opportunities for other people and you’re always going to get some injuries down the line.
“With Ronan Curtis and Marcus Harness, some of their best qualities are goalscoring and they’ve mainly been used in wide areas, but are good enough finishers.”