A frenetic finale and flurry of sad farewells: Now Portsmouth are better equipped for survival fight - but is it enough?

Right on cue, the Blues welcomed two arrivals and bid farewell to four players during the final three hours of a frenetic deadline day.

In fairness, sporting director Rich Hughes had overseen the recruitment of six newcomers before the conclusion of January’s window, demonstrating plenty of strengthening was carried out long before the dying hours.

Still, following that frantic finale, coupled with Conor Shaughnessy and Callum Lang remaining, it is irrefutable that Pompey now possess a far stronger squad than the one which entered January.

Head coach John Mousinho has presented the Blues with a fighting chance of remaining in the Championship, helping steer them two places clear of the relegation zone at present.

Now this overhauled group of players will be challenged to maintain that encouraging progress over the remaining 16 matches and avoid an instant return to League One.

Of the new arrivals, Rob Atkinson has gone straight into the first-team and will be pivotal in the relegation fight, while Isaac Hayden has shown glimpses in his ongoing progression towards match fitness.

Yet, potentially Adil Aouchiche aside, the bulk of January business has focused on bolstering a squad alarmingly lacking depth and plugging positional shortages.

Such glaring weaknesses previously impacted options outside the first XI, resulting in embarrassments during rotation attempts at Bristol City, Wycombe and West Brom in recent months.

Now Cohen Bramall has added competition at left-back, while Aouchiche will contribute more creativity in attacking positions which have relied far too heavily on Josh Murphy, Callum Lang and Matt Ritchie.

Similarly, Kaide Gordon will also challenge for those same roles, albeit likely to feature predominantly as a bench option when the established attacking three are fit.

The new Liverpool loanee is regarded as more equipped than Harvey Blair at this moment in time for Championship football. We shall see.

Hayden Matthews is now Pompey’s third-choice defender, while Thomas Waddingham can be a late wild card with his energy and enthusiasm, yet very much still on a huge learning curve,

Finally, the recruitment of Ben Killip is an intriguing one. The signing of the Barnsley man with 17 League One starts this season certainly caught many by surprise.

Still, he will strengthen the goalkeeping department, particularly following the departure of Will Norris, who cancelled his Pompey contract in order to move to Wycome on a free.

Killip’s arrival will also allow Toby Steward to find another loan destination after successful spells at Tonbridge Angels and Wealdstone, which both ended prematurely through no fault of the promising keeper.

Of course, there have been departures of a number of popular players, with League One title-winning goalkeeper Norris leading the way, yet none can be a surprise.

Ben Stevenson has left for Cambridge United, Tom Lowery is at Crewe on loan for the remainder of the season, while Anthony Scully has rejoined Colchester, also on loan.

Tom McIntyre’s erratic form since his return from a broken ankle has been hugely frustrating, particularly as he demonstrated his capabilities in the 2-1 victory at QPR.

Of all the available central defenders, he has largely found himself last pick of late and has now moved to Charlton on loan to get the first-team matches he desperately requires, although remains contracted with the Blues until 2026.

Finally there’s Owen Moxon, who has struggled to impose himself on the team during 12 months on the south coast, with just 10 league starts, and joins Stockport for an undisclosed fee.

With Hayden, Freddie Potts, Andre Dozzell and Marlon Pack all ahead of him in the scrap for the two central midfield places, it had become increasingly apparent there was no future for him at Fratton Park.

Indeed, he has featured for just four minutes in the Championship since the turn of the year, while has been named on the bench 22 times overall.

Let’s also not forget those important players who have remained, primarily leading scorer Callum Lang, who some feared could be snatched away in the aftermath of his four-goal haul against Coventry in December.

As for Shaughnessy, the ludicrous conspiracies and rumours surrounding his injury absence had many declaring with absolute certainty he wouldn’t play for Pompey again and be sold in the January window. Well he did and he wasn’t.

Meanwhile, Mark O’Mahony is back in training - albeit quite how Pompey plan to accommodate six loanees into five match-day slots will be interesting - while Regan Poole and Kusini Yengi are nearing their returns from injury.

Mousinho’s squad is complete, clearly improved, streamlined and better equipped compared to January 1. Now it’s down to them to keep Pompey in the Championship.