John Mousinho insists that Pompey are still in the play-off hunt as they prepare to visit Shrewsbury on Saturday.
They currently sit five points off sixth spot with a quintet of League One fixtures remaining to make up that deficit.
A couple of draws over Easter certainly halted momentum and has left the side with plenty of work to do.
And Mousinho knows that seeing off a tricky Shrews outfit will be vital if they are to have any hope of extending their campaign.
The Blues boss said: “We certainly need a couple of positive results now to get ourselves back into contention.
“The other sides aren’t going to keep dropping points and we probably got away with it slightly over Easter.
“We can count ourselves lucky to still be only five behind and it does look like an uphill task, but we’ll keep ploughing away.
“Shrewsbury were in really good form to get into play-off contention and have been building for a few years under Steve Cotterill.
"We can probably count ourselves lucky to still be only five behind and it does look like an uphill task, but we’ll keep ploughing away."
“Yes, they’ve dropped off a bit recently, but that can be difficult to play against because we expect a reaction and for them to come out fighting.
“In terms of the size of the club and their budget, they probably are overachieving and we’ll be ready for a tough test.”
Mousinho is waiting to see if he can call upon Paddy Lane in Shropshire, with the forward having missed three weeks with a hamstring injury.
He said: “Paddy is back in training again, although whether he’ll be available for selection remains to be seen.
“That depends on his reaction, but it’s great news to have him out with us – probably ahead of schedule.
“Connor Ogilvie looks like he’ll be back in the fold for the weekend and we’re looking for Michael Jacobs to train on Friday, so all being well, he’ll be available as well.
“Jay Mingi will hopefully be joining in again over the next few days, while Ronan Curtis is off his crutches and in good spirits.
“Jayden Reid has been out on the grass again and Zak Swanson is about two weeks away, so we should see him before the end of the season.”