Tom Lowery knows that Pompey cannot afford to let the season drift aimlessly towards a conclusion.
A run of four successive draws has put paid to any realistic ambitions of securing a League One play-off spot.
But there are still three games left to play – starting with struggling Accrington’s visit to Fratton Park on Saturday.
And Lowery is targeting a positive end to the campaign before immediately setting his sights on the next one.
The midfielder said: “It has been frustrating, although I think we’ve deserved to get more out of the past few games.
“We’ve played some good stuff at times, but have just lacked that final little bit of quality that you need.
“The target at the start of the season was to finish inside the top six and we did well to get back into the mix after a really bad run of form.
"We’ve got to be better next season – and I’m sure we will be. We’ll be raring to go and ready to push on."
“So to miss out in the final couple of games is disappointing and there’s a lot for us to learn because we haven’t been good enough to get into those play-off spots.
“We’ve got to be better next season – and I’m sure we will be. We’ll be raring to go and ready to push on.
“I’ve personally missed a lot of games through injury and it’s important for me to do well in these last couple of games, then be ready to hit the ground running.
“Getting a good pre-season under my belt is going to be really vital and so I’m looking forward to doing that.”
A regular at recent Pompey games – particularly on the road – will likely be familiar with the chant adopted by fans for Lowery.
He said: “It’s class. I really enjoy the song and it gets stuck in my head every weekend. I can hear it whenever I’m warming-up or on the pitch.
“The support has been amazing – home and away – and it’s just a shame for them that there’s not more to play for.”