With Pompey treading water just above the relegation zone in League Two, March would prove to be a pivotal month for the club.
It began with a trip to league leaders Chesterfield where Richie Barker's men outplayed the Spireites on their own turf and really should have come away with a win if Jake Jervis and Wes Fogden had taken their chances.
Still, with a well earned point against the division's top scorers and a good performance to go with it, Barker was beginning to win over some of his critics. Unfortunately for him, fortunes can take a drastic turn for the worse very quickly in football.
Highlights: Chesterfield 0 Portsmouth 0
All of the previous Monday night's hard work was undone thanks to a dour draw with Cheltenham at Fratton Park at the weekend. What was a good game of football to begin with soon turned into a turgid scrap with just the one goalmouth scramble at the end of the match to get excited about.
Highlights: Portsmouth 0 Cheltenham Town 0
The following Tuesday saw an even more dire stalemate played out with Burton Albion in front of a disgruntled Fratton Park who became increasingly frustrated with Richie Barker's apparent negative tactics and lack of attractive football, even by League Two's standard.
Highlights: Portsmouth 0 Burton Albion 0
The fact that the manager in his post-match interview said that his team dominated what was an even game in truth just baffled Pompey fans even further. Barker was also certain that his team would not be relegated despite three 0-0 draws in a row and the teams below Portsmouth in the table finding some winning form.
Things began to fall apart when Pompey went to promotion chasing Fleetwood and were soundly beaten. Jon Parkin scored an early tap in and the Cod Army were then awarded a dubious penalty which was dispatched by Antoni Sarcevic.
Jamille Matt scored an easy third goal early in the second half with groups of the visiting fans turning on each other with some wanting Barker out and others continuing to back him despite the dross on the pitch.
Jed Wallace united the fans again with an excellent strike to restore some hope but despite some good attacking play the damage had been done and Fleetwood won the game.
Highlights: Fleetwood Town 3 Portsmouth 1
Rhys McCabe signed on loan in time for the home match with York City but that game was to truly highlight just how bad things were at the club.
Michael Coulson produced an unstoppable volley just four minutes into the match and Pompey struggled to get back into the game due to some poor play, gamesmanship from the opposition and an inconsistent referee who wound up the Fratton Park crowd.
The home fans were furious when Ben Chorley was sent off for a blatant red card offence and that killed off any momentum Pompey had with the team booed off at the final whistle and the vast majority of fans leaving Fratton Park in a foul mood.
Highlights: Portsmouth 0 York City 1
Portsmouth supporters feared the worst ahead of the midweek trip to league leaders Rochdale and those fears were justified as Matt Lund headed Dale into an early lead from a corner.
Ian Henderson scored a second after one long ball had beaten the entire defence and Peter Vincenti's header completed the rout as the travelling fans began to argue amongst themselves and boo the team off once again.
Highlights: Rochdale 3 Portsmouth 0
Richie Barker again blasted his players in the post-match interview and refused to accept any responsibility for his team's recent performances. He also allegedly insulted some Pompey fans for daring to criticise his methods after the match.
It was clear that the manager had lost the dressing room and the fans and so something had to change to ensure Portsmouth would not be relegated to non-league without a fight.
The board acted and Richie Barker departed Portsmouth FC via "mutual consent" on the Thursday with the owners stating that the manager wasn't the right man for this club and never really understood what Pompey was about.
They didn't delve too much into the fact that his spell in charge yielded only four wins in twenty games with only eleven goals scored in that time. The football his team played was dreadful to watch and it was safe to say the vast majority of Pompey fans were happy to see Barker leave.
Andy Awford once again took temporary charge of the team for the rest of the season but even he couldn't have believed the impact he would have on his players and the mood around the club.
Danny Hollands arrived on loan from Charlton to replace Toumani Diagouraga who had been recalled by Brentford. Nobody expected too much from the trip to Newport but those who went to Wales would be pleasantly surprised.
Pompey attacked from the first whistle and got their rewards when Ryan Taylor was brought down in the box. He scored the resulting penalty and the home side were reduced to ten men soon after as Adam Chapman received a straight red card for a two-footed lunge on Hollands.
Things got even better just before the break as Wallace doubled Pompey's lead by heading home Ricky Holmes' cross. Ismail Yakubu pulled one back but when Darcy Blake was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Patrick Agyemang, Awford's men were able to see out the rest of the game and pick up a massive three points in the battle against relegation.
Highlights: Newport County 1 Portsmouth 2
That result pushed Pompey up to 21st in League Two and five points clear of the bottom two. Awford and his men still had work to do to ensure survival but there was optimism going into the final six games of the season.