Joe Morrell insists that Pompey are still searching for the perfect equilibrium in their performances.
They have scored 12 goals in the past four fixtures, but conceded three times in a couple of those and kept a single clean sheet.
Nevertheless, a midweek victory over Oxford stretched the Blues’ unbeaten run to five fixtures, with just a couple of points dropped in that time.
And Morrell knows that is the most important factor if they are to keep closing the gap on the play-off positions.
The midfielder said: “There had been a run when we looked strong at the back and kept clean sheets, but weren’t scoring too many.
“At the moment we’re getting a lot of goals – and it’s pretty exciting stuff – but we’d like to be a bit tighter in defence.
“So it’s about finding that right balance between being a real threat offensively and also sound at the other end, which we’ve shown we can do at times this season.
"At the moment we’re getting a lot of goals – and it’s pretty exciting stuff – but we’d like to be a bit tighter in defence."
“The best teams find different ways to win games, whether it’s battling from behind or holding onto a lead.
“Coming away with all three points is the most important thing and that’s what we’ve been able to do recently.
“There have been times where we’ve not played particularly well for the whole 90 minutes, but got the victory and that’s what you need to do if you want to be competing near the top of the table.”
Next up for Pompey is an Accrington outfit who sit two places below them in the League One standings.
Morrell said: “It’s a tough test against a side with a lot of experience at this level and we know that there are no easy games.
“We found that out against Fleetwood last Saturday, so we certainly won’t be underestimating Accrington.
“We’ll be very detailed in our preparation, just like we were when we played Oxford earlier in the week.
“The approach is exactly the same as it would be if Rotherham or Wigan were coming to Fratton Park. It doesn’t change.”
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