Portsmouth FC: The five steps behind Pompey’s Championship survival surge

You have to be careful choosing your metaphors at this time of the season.

Portsmouth clearly aren’t over the finish line. I’m not sure it’s even quite in sight yet.

However, after three wins in a row it feels like they’ve come around the final bend and are on the home straight towards Championship survival.

To be 17th and nine points clear of the relegation zone considering where the team was is, in itself, a huge achievement.

After the midweek round of matches in early November, Pompey lost 1-0 away to Plymouth Argyle to sit bottom of the table, six points adrift of safety.

It was still early days in the season but they didn’t look a Championship-quality side nor one with enough players good enough for the second tier. They had scored three goals in six home matches and conceded 18 in eight on the road.

Since then they’ve taken 30 points from 20 matches. The ninth-best record in the division. More points than West Brom, Sheffield Wednesday or Middlesbrough. Essentially it’s been play-off chasing form, with largely the same group of players.

Of the starting XI defeated at Home Park in November, six played in the win over Queen’s Park Rangers last Saturday and three who didn’t – Jordan Williams, Freddie Potts and Callum Lang – would all likely have been involved but for injury.

So what’s been the main reason for the turnaround? I’ve picked out some of the key factors…