'Not making up the numbers': Rich Hughes addresses Portsmouth's Championship vision

Rich Hughes is cautious about revealing Pompey’s Championship aspirations now their 12-year exile is over.

But the sporting director is adamant the Blues won’t be ‘making up the numbers’.

Following their League One title triumph, next season will mark Pompey’s participation in the Championship for the first time since 2011-12.

Work on strengthening John Mousinho’s squad for the challenge is already well underway ahead of the transfer window’s reopening on June 14.

Yet, at this early stage, Hughes believes it’s important to keep his own counsel over the Blues’ precise ambition for 2024-25.

He told The News: ‘I wouldn’t like to answer that just yet because we need to take stock, assess what various things look like, and work through that internally as a collective.

‘Then we can set ourselves the mark to achieve that - but we aren’t in the Championship to make up the numbers.

‘I genuinely think the aims of the football club in terms of the league table should be highly protected and personal, otherwise you set yourselves up to be shot down.

‘When you set any goals or aims you can have the stuff that’s very easily measured in terms of where you want to finish in the league, but one of the things we also want is a wider remit.

‘Yes we want to be really successful, but we want to make progress - and that’s off the pitch as well.

‘It's really difficult to predict next season at the moment, the transfer window isn't even open yet. We will take stock at the appropriate time and have those collective conversations internally when the time is right.

‘But absolutely we will not be making up the numbers, we’ve worked too hard to get there, we want to be competitive, we want to keep making progress.

‘We want to keep getting better together, whether that be on the pitch or off the pitch as a coaching staff, medical staff, the chefs.

‘Everyone wants to get better and the nice bit is seeing these things starting to happen off the back of success.’

The Blues are in the process of finishing work at the Pompey Health & Fitness Club ahead of relocating facilities from the existing Portakabins.

And those improvements are scheduled to be completed in time for pre-season, which starts at the end of June.

Hughes added: ‘Last summer was the base point of the staff we recruited, now we’re at the point where we are improving the training ground.

‘We want to continue the progress we’ve made on the pitch and that echoes the wider sentiment of the football club.

‘Everyone wants to make progress, whether it’s the training ground, Fratton Park or anywhere in between. We must keep getting better, keep making progress, and keep pushing the boundaries.’