Gale: There's no room for complacency
The Hawks can banish their Blue Square South relegation worries by beating bottom-of-the-league visitors Fisher Athletic at West Leigh Park tomorrow (3pm).
If Thurrock fail to win at Welling United today and the Hawks pick up three points against their already-relegated opponents, then safety will be guaranteed.
Fisher have had a torrid time this season, with their financial problems well documented, while there is still a chance they could go out of existence in the summer.
Hawks manager Shaun Gale, however, knows there is no room for complacency and insists his side realise they still have a job to do.
'You can't afford to underestimate any side in this league – only recently Fisher went and won at Bath City,' said Gale.
'It would be foolish to take them too lightly.
'If we do our job properly and play like we did in the first 45 minutes against Welling during the week then we should be okay.
'I don't like to see any side suffering the problems Fisher have, but all I am interested in is three points for the Hawks and we will approach the game in the correct manner.'
The home side picked up a vital three points from their 1-0 win over Welling on Monday night with a first-half performance that was as good the Hawks have produced all season.
They made the visitors, who are a good side, look very ordinary, with some outstanding pass-and-move football.
The second half was less inspiring, but the Hawks showed resilience to grind out the win with an equally-impressive defensive display.
'Maybe we showed a little bit of tiredness after our hectic schedule recently, and the games caught up with us a bit,' said Gale.
'Being able to field a settled side in the last few games has made a big difference, though, and 4-3-3 is suiting us at the moment.'
The Hawks will hope to maintain that continuity in the final weeks of the season, though full-back Paul Hinshelwood will require treatment ahead of the weekend.
If the full-back is ruled out, it will be a shame because he is going from strength to strength every game he plays.
'Paul is getting better and better,' said Gale.
'He knows how to defend properly and is effective going forward.
'He likes to do things the right way and has shown good quality.'
If Hinshelwood is ruled out, it will give Jay Smith an opportunity after returning from injury.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
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