Former Portsmouth favourite offers Championship relegation verdict after Blackburn Rovers triumph
Pompey came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon.
Guy Whittingham has insisted Pompey must use their triumph over Blackburn Rovers as a springboard to move away from the relegation picture.
Despite Yuki Ohashi giving Rovers the lead in the first half, Callum Lang equalised just after the hour mark before Ibane Bowat netted his first Fratton goal to claim the maximum points.
The triumph moves the Blues outside of the bottom three and are now one point clear of 22nd-placed Oxford United.
With a packed festive period on the horizon, Whittingham has made it clear Pompey have to use Saturday’s impressive comeback victory as a catalyst to finally kick start their season.
Former Pompey favourite offers relegation verdict
Speaking on BBC Radio Solent, he said: ‘They have (delivered) and under pressure. Blackburn were the third best away team this season behind Coventry and it’s a great result and a needed one.
‘It hasn’t defined the season in terms of relegation or survival but it certainly should add some real confidence to Pompey for the way they played against a good team, gone behind and came back to win it.
‘It’s one of those days when you feel that there could’ve quite possibly been a shift in Pompey’s season, especially when they really needed this result.
‘The run of results they’ve had, you sort of thought it would happen after Millwall, it hasn’t quite taken off. You now hope that it’s going to take off.
‘I’m not saying they’ll go and win every game from now but certainly with the home form. That also links to the away performance at Swansea.
‘It was a decent away performance and whatever happened happened but games (coming up) Derby are next then QPR and Charlton. No games are easy but they aren’t facing top of the table.’
Championship relegation picture
Seven points currently separates 23rd-placed Norwich City and Charlton Athletic, who sit 17th at present.
And Whittingham believes the survival battle is likely to consist of those seven sides throughout the remainder of the campaign.
‘You wouldn’t expect anyone else to get dragged into it. It’s 28 points when you’re going up to your Watford’s and your Birmingham’s.
‘It would have to be a spectacular collapse for one of those teams to drop into that bottom five, six or seven.
It seems to be that scrap, have West Brom kicked on? Derby are below them but are only seven points clear. That’s why with Derby coming up and Charlton coming up as well as facing six teams at home that are in the bottom half currently. You’ll likely get results against those.’