There is a particular kind of value in winning ugly. For a club like Portsmouth, back in the Championship and still finding their feet at this level, grinding out three points on a sodden afternoon at Fratton Park may matter more than any number of stylish performances. That, at least, is the argument Portsmouth supporter Tom Chappell has made after the 2-1 home victory over Millwall, and it is worth testing against what the season has actually shown so far.

Only Middlesbrough have done better in the last five

The headline number is striking. According to Chappell, only Middlesbrough have accumulated more points than Portsmouth from their past five Championship fixtures. For a club that spent a large chunk of the campaign looking nervously over their shoulder, that represents a meaningful shift. Pompey are also unbeaten at home since the opening weekend of the season, which is the kind of statistic a manager can point to when the mood in the stands turns sour.

The Millwall match itself was not exactly a showcase. The equaliser had an element of fortune about it: Adrian Segecic's dangerous ball was turned into his own net by a Millwall defender. The winner, which came from Tommy Waddingham, was similarly aided by conditions rather than clinical finishing. Chappell is honest about this, and that honesty is worth crediting. Pompey did not dominate; Millwall arguably adapted better to the wet pitch for long stretches of the second half. But the substitutions were well timed, and the team stayed in the game long enough to capitalise.

What has actually changed?

The interesting question is whether this is a genuine shift in the team's character or simply a run of good fortune colliding with a kind fixture list. We do not have the numbers to settle that definitively. What we can say is that Portsmouth have shown something they conspicuously lacked in the early weeks of their Championship return: the ability to win a match when they have not played brilliantly. That is a different skill from playing well and converting that performance into points. It requires defensive resilience, smart use of the bench and, frankly, a bit of luck. Pompey appear to be getting all three at the moment.

Chappell highlights Jojo Dia's willingness to put his body in front of anything, and the performances of both full-backs. Iyad Mohamed, settling into the side, and Waddingham, whose time at the club has been blighted by injury, were particular positives. These are not the glamour names in the squad, but in a division as physically demanding as the Championship, the contributions of players outside the first eleven can be decisive.

Mousinho's position and the mood at Fratton Park

The most pointed observation in Chappell's piece concerns John Mousinho himself. Less than two weeks before the Millwall win, a vocal minority of supporters were calling for the manager's dismissal following a south-coast derby defeat. By Saturday, a 20,000 crowd inside Fratton Park were singing his name. Football does move quickly, but the speed of this particular reversal is still notable.

That does not mean Mousinho has solved everything. Chappell is clear that Portsmouth have not cracked it yet, and that caution seems right. A run of five games is a run of five games: it tells you something real, but it does not guarantee the next five will follow the same pattern. The Championship has a way of humbling teams who mistake a good spell for a permanent state of affairs.

What it does suggest, tentatively, is that Mousinho has identified a way of operating that suits his squad's strengths. Winning without playing well is a skill most Championship managers spend an entire season trying to teach their sides. If Portsmouth have genuinely learned it, even partly, that matters far more than any individual result. The run of form has earned Mousinho credit; whether the team can sustain it across a full campaign is the question worth watching.

Frequently asked

How has Portsmouth been performing recently in the Championship?
Portsmouth have been in strong form recently, with only Middlesbrough collecting more points in the last five Championship fixtures. They are also unbeaten at home since the opening weekend of the season.
What happened in Portsmouth's 2-1 win over Millwall?
Portsmouth came from behind to beat Millwall 2-1 at Fratton Park. The equaliser was an own goal from a Millwall defender following a cross from Adrian Segecic, and Tommy Waddingham scored the winner. Millwall had taken the lead through a Jenson Metcalfe goal after a poor pass from Nico Schmid.
Is John Mousinho's job at Portsmouth safe?
Yes, by all current indications. Despite calls from some supporters for his dismissal after a south-coast derby defeat, Portsmouth's subsequent run of form has seen fan sentiment swing firmly back in his favour, with a packed Fratton Park singing his name during the Millwall win.