Portsmouth aiming for seventh time lucky against Sheffield United amid horror run of fixtures

As Sheffield United can atest, when moving up a division it will often take time to get to grips with the step up. Indeed, as was the Blades’ case in the top flight last season, some teams may not get to grips with it at all.

The Blades’ weekend opponents Portsmouth are finding their own rise difficult as they sit second bottom of the table after six games and with no wins on the board, following their promotion to the Championship after a lengthy stay in League One.

But those two simple facts don’t tell the whole story, not least when you look at who Pompey have had to play in those first six games.

John Mousinho’s side began with an enthralling 3-3 draw away at Leeds United on the opening day. Then came two more draws, against newly-relegated Luton Town and highly-fancied Middlesbrough. Two defeats followed but they came against Sunderland and West Brom - two sides who had both taken up top spot in the Championship over the course of the weekend just past. Finally, another defeat on Saturday, but it was to another relegated side and in Burnley, another expected to be in the promotion shake-up.

A run like that would take the wind out of anyone’s sails and with Sheffield United - fifth in the table and unbeaten - up next Pompey fans would be forgiven for wondering what they did to deserve such a run of fixtures.

However, Portsmouth are clinging onto the belief that the tide will turn and it could be a case of seventh time lucky for them against another of the division’s big-hitters.

They can argue that only Sunderland and West Brom - 3-1 and 3-0 respectively - have beaten them semi-comprehensively and it took a 90th minute Josh Brownhill goal for Burnley to secure victory over Pompey at Turf Moor on Saturday.

It’s for that reason, the players are maintaining a sense of perspective and trust that things will come good, perhaps even this weekend against the Blades.

Confidence remains in Portmouth camp

“It’s frustrating,” admitted Pompey’s Regan Poole after Saturday’s latest defeat to Scott Parker’s side, speaking to The News. “They are at the top of the league and we’re down the bottom, but watching this game you wouldn’t know that.

“That is what is so frustrating, but there has been little moments which have defined the season so far. That’s what we have to catch on, because this league is a different level. If you give teams a sniff they will score and that’s what we’ve learned the hard way.

“On this occasion it’s two shots on the edge of the box and they’ve scored. We’ve worked so well for 94 minutes and not deserved that, but this is football. We have to put that behind us and now it’s looking to Sheffield United. It’s another game we believe we can win because we’ve shown what we can do against these teams - whether they’re at the top or not.”

John Mousinho’s take on Portsmouth’s lack of victories

The belief in the group comes from the boss, to, as he said: “We are really close, but we are still there with three points after six games and we should have won a few of those games or at least got a bit more out of it by just being better in crucial moments.”

“I looked at a confident side on Saturday,” he added. “I thought I saw a confident team playing, a side which was really assured in the way they played. You definitely can take those positive signs into the next game, but you can’t keep going ‘Oh this is good, this is good, this is good’ and losing games.”