'Might as well just pack their bags' - Pompey boss' blunt message as Blues prepare for acid tests against Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday

Instead, the new Blues head coach believes it’s imperative that his players go into every game under his leadership thinking it’s the biggest of the campaign – otherwise they should just ‘pack their bags’.

Over the next five days Pompey face a tough test of their new-found belief against top-six contenders Barnsley and League One leaders Sheffield Wednesday.

Tuesday night’s trip to Oakwell has all the hallmarks of a six-pointer, with victory for the visitors guaranteed to narrow the gap to the play-offs to six points and heighten hopes of a late promotion bid. Defeat, other the other hand, would extend the deficit to 12, with Pompey having little or no hoping of bridging such a gulf between now and the season’s climax.

Saturday’s visit of the Owls at Fratton Park, meanwhile, will allow the Blues to demonstrate that they can compete against the best in the division, are over the mid-season troubles, and have a say in where League One title eventually ends up.

Following Saturday’s 1-0 win at Cambridge, Pompey have now registered six wins and two draws under Mousinho.

That has seen fan apathy replaced by a growing sense of hope that the club is once ahead heading in the right direction.

Now Mousinho wants to ensure his players carry those expectations on their shoulders every game – not just when big fixtures like Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday sit on the horizon.

‘I wouldn’t say season-defining,’ said the head coach, when asked if the Blues’ 2022-23 campaign rested on the next two games.

‘If things go well, it’s doesn’t necessarily mean anything. And if things don’t go as we planned then there’s still plenty of games and points to play for.

‘The most important thing for the players is to get themselves in the right mentality and frame of mind when every game you go into is a season-defining game.

‘That sounds like a big cliché but, in truth, that’s how you become successful. And I think that’s what the fans want to see as well.

‘If we play any game, home or away, and we speak to the players and they don’t think it as season-defining then what’s the point of being there.

‘They might as well just pack their bags and go home. They’re doing a disservice to the fans and everybody who is paying their money to be there.

‘That’s the trick. We can’t always do it, but the trick is to make every game the biggest game and that’s why we’ll be trying to do.’