x

Morecambe will want to stop Pompey playing, warns Mousinho

The gap is bigger - but John Mousinho says it's not insurmountable.

He is talking of course about the gap between Pompey and the sides who occupy the final couple of League One play-off places - which grew when his team could only draw 1-1 at MK Dons when others won.

Ahead of Easter Monday's games, the table has Bolton, Peterborough and Derby all on 67 points in 5th, 6th and 7th, Bolton having one extra game to play. Wycombe and Pompey are the two clubs who can still disrupt that gang of three but are both five points behind them.

It all makes Monday's match at home to Morecambe a genuine must-win game and Mousinho expects it to be anything but straightforward.

He told the club wensite: 'We saw on Friday that MK Dons were set up to stop us playing — which is something we take as a compliment. I’m sure it will be the same with Morecambe on Monday and that is going to ramp up the pressure on us.

'We have to find a way to deal with that and win the game because we obviously want to collect all three points. With some of the players they have and a few of their previous results this season, we know they are a good attacking side.

'It’s a game we’re probably going to have to win because the gap has now opened up slightly, but it’s not insurmountable.'

What to read next:

'At the start of the journey' - Pompey chief outlines spending strategy
Pompey chief executive Andy Cullen has promised Pompey are not shirking away from spending money on players - but stressed they're at the start of the sort of journey that's brought major success to the likes of Brighton and Brentford.
Pompey in 84-85: the Santa game, 4-4 with Fulham, Biley, Webb, Dillon and Vince - and last-day heartbreak
When I decided to devote this season's View From the North Stand columns in the PFC programme to our past 21 seasons in the second tier, there was only one it was legal to feature in the Oxford programme... 1984-85.
Pompey v Oxford - a must-win game for Blues, or is such talk too early?
October does seem early to talk about must-win games. There are, after all, 38 Championship games to go before we see the final league table.
The power of partnerships - and why Michael Eisner is happy to put faith in this pairing
Michael Eisner calls it the power of partnerships - and he is convinced the pairing he has put faith in to carry Pompey upwards is the right one.
Returning Pompey defender reflects on 'lonely place' as he looks to kick on
One of Pompey's returning casualties has spoken of the tough time he has had on the sidelines.
Fratton foursome give fans and manager good news - but one Pompey new boy is crocked
Pompey's treatment room is starting to thin out somewhat - although it does now have a new casualty.
Pompey's 1985-86 season: Bans, crushes, a Carlisle nightclub and an agonising end
Everything has a spin-off these days, so why should View From The North Stand not follow suit? If you don't know, that's the name of my column in the Pompey programme, now in its 18th season in its current guise.
Quick on the draw: Would one more point suit Pompey against Sunderland?
Pompey have been quick on the draw upon their return to the Championship. Three games - and all have ended all-square.
Who comes in? Pompey and new boys head for the Riverside
Pompey head to Middlesbrough this weekend and there will almost be as much interest in what happens at 2pm as 3pm.
Two games in - and Pompey have concerns among the excitement
Pompey are two games into the season - and it's fair to say that most fans would have said 'yes please' if offered a point from Elland Road and a League Cup exit at the hands of Millwall in those two opening tussles.