Cook's message to Pompey fans

The Blues boss has called for level heads in the wake of his team’s impressive recent form.

Cook’s side go to Accrington today looking to make it five wins on the bounce in League Two.

They could also move to the top of the table if Plymouth drop points when they travel to Exeter.

It’s an encouraging run from Pompey after they failed to win their first three league fixtures of the campaign.

But Cook isn’t getting carried away by their success and remembers Chesterfield coming unstuck in a similar situation when he was boss there.

He can see how the winning run has injected confidence into his players, though.

Cook said: ‘We’re seven games in and after three games it was completely different.

‘We have now played seven and the argument is everyone wants to say who is going up, who is not going up, who is great, who is not.

‘Look at Luton last week against Grimsby. We have been in this league long enough. Portsmouth fans have to know do not count your chickens, do not get ahead of yourselves. I won’t.

‘We are on a great run at the minute and long may it continue, but the most important thing is we keep smiling when the run ends.

‘We went eight unbeaten at the start of the season with Chesterfield, top by a few points, and I got asked if we could go the season unbeaten.

‘We lost to Mansfield 1-0 in a big derby match the next game!

‘We have gone from not looking a good team to looking a very good team.

‘I would suggest the confidence levels have gone through the roof, whereas the same players were playing without confidence and belief.’

There is a feel-good factor now surrounding the Blues as a result of their recent run.

But Cook pointed out he will still have confidence in his players when defeat arrives.

He said: ‘It changes week by week. We can lose at Accrington, draw against Barnet and then have Blackpool away midweek and everyone will be saying we haven’t won for three.

‘The most important league table is the last one. Everyone knows the criteria at the start of the season – you play 46 league games and the best team finishes at the top.

‘I don’t believe the table lies, we finished where we deserved to finish last year, every team above us deserved to finish there.

‘This year we’ve played seven games. Keep your head down and keep going.

‘We have good players, when they don’t play well one week they don’t become bad ones, they just didn’t play well.

‘We have a really strong squad, my belief is not just in the lads who played in the last couple of games. We have good players.’