Edwards' Portsmouth Preview

When two old rivals meet at Home Park this Saturday, there will be no Churchillian speech from Argyle captain Joe Edwards.

The skipper is not honing his oratory skills, not preparing to recite Shakespeare to incite any dogs of war. Instead, Edwards is calling on his team-mates to believe in themselves, to trust their collective ability and to extend an extraordinary home record this season.

Portsmouth are the weekend’s visitors to Home Park, a ground at which Argyle have played 14 times, winning 13 and losing one.

The fixture sold out for home supporters more than a week before the game, which is starting to become a regular occurrence, too.

As captain, Joe is looking to the match, and says his role is to calm his fellow players, ensure preparation is perfect, and that the focus is where it should be: on another three points to continue the Greens’ promotion push.

“It's another big game for us, at another sold-out Home Park,” said Joe. “It’s fantastic; we’re really looking forward to it. We’re happy at home and can't wait for it.

“There's no big speech needed, going into games. We know how big they are and we know what's at stake.

“I try to keep consistent, as I have done all year. We know it's coming towards the business end of the season, and that's what you want to be a part of, rather than being mid-table. It's about keeping the boys calm and preparing right, as we always do.

“They are competitive games that mean a lot to a lot of people. We understand that. Each game is another three points; nothing more, nothing less. If you look at it like that, keep a level head and just concentrate on the job in hand. Hopefully that can stand us in good stead going towards the end of the season.”

Visitors Portsmouth are 10th in Sky Bet League One. They were on a four-match losing run when manager Danny Cowley was sacked, being replaced by veteran Oxford United defender John Mousinho.

Since the new boss’s arrival, Pompey have won two, lost one and drawn one.

For the Pilgrims, the Portsmouth game follows on from an away trip to Sheffield Wednesday which Argyle lost 1-0, the first defeat on the road in the league since August. This, in turn, followed away trips to Ipswich Town and Bolton Wanderers this calendar year, all games in which the stadiums were big, with attendances to match.

The aim this season is promotion to the Championship, but Joe says the feeling of that division is creeping into life at this level, too.  

“It feels like we’re in the Championship at the moment,” said Joe. “Since January we have played some big teams away from home in packed-out stadiums. Every time we’ve played at home recently it’s been packed out. It's a great place to be when that's happening; we hope we can keep it going and they keep coming and keep supporting us because they're massive for us. They can sometimes win us a game on their own – we know how vital they are.

“It's massive for us, but it's also massive for the opposition. They come here and they see a packed house and they feel the atmosphere. They know they're in for a proper game and for us as players we love it.

“The boys know what is riding on it; they have done all year. We didn't get the result on Saturday, but we're still on a good run. We’ve played some tough teams and have come out really well. We’ve got another couple of tough games coming up, but it's a chance to get more points on the table which we want. We need to just enjoy it. We’re in a great position, doing really well, we need to keep it going.

“It's going to be tough. [Portsmouth have] had a little turn around in form with the new manager coming in, that always gives an added lift.

“We're very good at home with a fantastic record and we're really confident in our ability at home. I'm really excited for it, really looking forward to it and hopefully we get the result we want.”