‘I think so’: Portsmouth boss’ warning to Swansea, Preston, Millwall & Co over Championship dogfight

And the Blues boss has pinpointed Swansea’s struggles as clear evidence of how quickly the survival picture can change for teams eyeing mid-table comfort this season.

Pompey face QPR on Saturday in upwardly mobile form, after back-to-back league wins and powerful home form which has seen just a single loss in 10 at Fratton Park.

It’s now a seven-point gap to safety which means Mousinho’s side are still a long way from being safe this season, but have been able to reel in the teams above them in the table.

Swansea are certainly the most glaring example of doing that, when assessing how quickly the gap has been closed on the Welsh side. Just five weeks ago 11 points and as many spaces in the league separated the two teams, after Pompey had lost 3-0 at Blackburn.

Swansea’s run of one win in nine coupled with the Blues’ progress sees just a single point and one place between the sides, ahead of this weekend’s fixtures. It’s form which saw Luke Williams sacked on Monday, with Mousinho explaining he could never have anticipated the two teams being in close proximity at this point

And the Pompey boss believes that’s a cautionary tale to the likes of this weekend’s opponents, Preston, Millwall and those in the middle reaches of the Championship

Mousinho said: ‘I think so (teams above Pompey are still in it). If you look at those clubs in those positions I bet they are still focussing on getting to around that 50-point mark as quickly as possible.

‘I don’t think there will be any complacency in those sides around mid-table.

‘You don’t know, you never know what could happen. I didn’t think, even after beating them at home, that Swansea would be anywhere near us this season after watching them.

‘Swansea are a very, very good side so you never know what could happen with any mid-table side.

‘We’ve got to be ruthless ourselves in terms of picking up points and putting sides away, because inevitably there will be sides down the bottom who pick up results which surprise.

‘Teams down the bottom will put a run together as well, so we need to be right on top of it from our own perspective.’