Portsmouth are in the top half of the Championship table, and nobody is pretending they fully deserve to be there. That is not a slight; it is simply an honest read of a four-game run that has yielded ten points while leaving manager John Mousinho himself admitting the victories have not always been earned in the most convincing fashion.

Fortunate goals, awkward outcomes

The 2-1 win over Millwall is the clearest example. A mis-hit free kick that deflected in as an own goal, followed by a tackle that cannoned off a forward and crossed the line: neither was the product of clinical, incisive Championship football. Mousinho acknowledged as much in his post-match comments. Yet there is something important to note here: the same could be said, to varying degrees, of the three results that preceded it. All three could quite easily have gone the other way.

That matters, because ten points from four games is a brilliant return in this division regardless of how they were accumulated. If you are collecting points at that rate, luck will inevitably play a part. The question is whether there is genuine substance behind the results, or whether Pompey are papering over significant cracks.

Becoming difficult to beat

BBC Radio Solent's Andy Moon argues, and the evidence supports him, that Portsmouth have become awkward opponents. Earlier in the season, that was not remotely the case. They were too open, too easy to play through. What Mousinho appears to have built more recently is a side that is compact, difficult to break down, and capable of staying in matches even when the balance of play is against them.

That is a genuine and hard-won quality. Being difficult to beat is not a fluke; it is a tactical and psychological discipline that takes time to install. A four-game run is far too short a sample to conclude the transformation is complete, and this column is deeply wary of proclaiming any side fixed on the back of a month's results. The Championship has a habit of exposing that kind of optimism rather brutally.

But staying in matches when the going is hard, and then taking something from them, is exactly the kind of resilience that separates mid-table finishes from relegation scraps. Portsmouth, on current evidence, are doing that.

What a realistic ceiling looks like

The play-off places flickered briefly on the screen on Saturday before Pompey were nudged out of the top six again. Nobody should be making plans for a Wembley semi-final. The top eight is not a realistic target for this squad, and anyone framing it that way is getting carried away on the back of a good fortnight.

A mid-table finish, though, would be a significant achievement. For context, Portsmouth are a club still finding their feet back in the second tier after years spent in the lower divisions. The infrastructure, the budget, the squad depth: none of it has been built to compete with the established Championship clubs occupying the top six. Consolidation was always the sensible ambition for this campaign.

If Mousinho can keep the defensive organisation that has been evident in recent weeks, keep opponents at arm's length, and benefit from the occasional fortunate deflection along the way, a comfortable mid-table position is well within reach. That would represent real progress.

The sceptic's note

Four games. Ten points. A run of results that could have gone the other way on each occasion. Portsmouth supporters should enjoy this spell, absolutely. But they should also know that the Championship is merciless when form deserts you, and a tight, well-organised performance can unravel quickly when one or two key players pick up knocks, or when the schedule clusters difficult fixtures together. The squad is not so deep that it can absorb those shocks without feeling them.

For now, Pompey are in the top half, they are making themselves hard to beat, and they are getting their share of the breaks. That is more than most expected at this point in the season. Mousinho and his players have earned that credit. Whether they can sustain it across the remainder of the campaign is the question that will define their season.

Frequently asked

Where are Portsmouth in the Championship table?
Portsmouth have climbed into the top half of the Championship table following a run of ten points from four games, though their position fluctuated briefly in and out of the play-off places during the most recent round of fixtures.
Are Portsmouth in contention for the Championship play-offs?
Realistically, no. While Portsmouth edged into the top six briefly, the play-off places are not considered a genuine target for this squad. A mid-table finish is the more realistic and still impressive ambition for this campaign.
How has John Mousinho improved Portsmouth this season?
According to BBC Radio Solent analysis, Mousinho has made Portsmouth significantly harder to beat compared to earlier in the season. The team is now more compact and resilient, capable of staying in matches even when not playing at their best.