Pompey currently sit 16th in the Championship after the opening seven games of the season.

Marlon Pack believes Pompey are not far away from breaking into the ‘next barrier in the Championship’.

And the popular midfielder admits the Blues’ disappointment not to have picked up more points to date shows how far they’ve come as a side.

Following Saturday’s frustrating 2-1 loss to league favourites Ipswich Town, John Mousinho’s men have claimed eight points from their opening seven games of the campaign.

Despite losing just one of their first five, two successive defeats has seen Pompey drop down the standings in recent weeks - although it is still very-much early days.

But Pack is adamant the Blues are not far away from being able to compete with some of the Championship’s top sides.

Pompey’s start to the season assessed

When asked about Pompey’s start to the season, the skipper told The News: ‘Good, bad and different. I think it’s been a bit of everything, it's probably been typical Pompey.

‘It’s probably a little bit disappointed. Probably more so against Sheffield Wednesday than on Saturday but yeah disappointed because eight points - yeah that’s great but we are hoping to have a few more points.

‘You continue coming to sides in the Championship where it’s always going to be tough and the money and the individual players that the likes of Ipswich have got are outstanding for this level.

‘We’ve shown that we’ve definitely elevated from where we were last year but I don’t think we’re just going to stand still. We want to continue to improve.

‘There are a lot of positives and I think we are so close to breaking that next barrier in the Championship I suppose.

‘If you’re going to tier it, I don’t think we’re that far away. We’ve had a good start but it could’ve been better but the question for us as a group is that we’ve got two home games so we have to go and get two positive results because you can go from having a really good start to having a bang average start.

‘Even it being early and only two international breaks in, we don't want to be on the side of a table we don’t want to be in.’

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Pompey’s summer recruitment praised by skipper

Conor Chaplin was Pompey’s 11th and final signing during the summer window.

placeholder image — Conor Chaplin was Pompey’s 11th and final signing during the summer window.

Pompey were busy in the transfer window, adding 11 new faces to the squad throughout the summer.

And Pack has praised the recruitment undertaken by the Blues’ football operations for adding valuable competition to the squad.

‘The squad is now. What we have done is recruit some good, young players as well as good experience in Swifty (John Swift), Josh Knight and Chappers (Conor Chaplin).

‘We’ve got a lot of competition for places so that’s going to bode well for this season. We want players who are hungry for the shirt.

‘If you don’t perform on a Saturday then you’ve got someone waiting in the wings likewise for the lads who don’t get in do then have an opportunity in midweek or the weekend.’

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