Pompey are virtually guaranteed a play-off place after an edgy 2-1 win over Wycombe at Fratton Park yesterday.
The "injury crisis" that had supposedly hit Paul Cook's squad wasn't as bad as first feared as Christian Burgess and Gary Roberts returned to the team with the latter having a huge impact on how the match panned out.
Kal Naismith also started the match and would also be involved in many of Pompey's first half attacks, although he'll want to forget a couple of air shots whilst the game was still goalless.
The home fans were frustrated as crosses into the box were aimless or cleared by the busy Wycombe defence whilst Marc McNulty, Gareth Evans and Roberts all narrowly missed the target.
The opening goal was coming and it arrived when a long through-ball found McNulty who beat the offside trap and for a change there was someone on the end of a cross into the box as Roberts slid the ball past Ryan Allsop at the far post.
Naismith's bad luck continued as he slammed the post with a late first half strike but the Pompey players went into the tunnel at half-time happy with their performances.
The second half was much more of a battle with Michael Doyle and ex-Pompey loanee Marcus Bean at the centre of it as the both wound each other up and had a few run-ins that, on another day, may have seen one or both of them dismissed.
Paul Jones was vilified for his error against Plymouth last week but he kept his team in the game after the break with a good one-handed save from Gozie Ugwu's header.
A double substitution from Cook on the hour raised some eyebrows as Ben Davies and McNulty were withdrawn for Kieron Freeman and Conor Chaplin but that decision seemed to pay off when the latter received a long ball and produced a characteristically cool finish to double the lead.
However, any Pompey fan who thought that the game was over obviously hasn't learned the lessons taught this season and when Doyle caught Bean (again) on the edge of the box, most home fans knew what the outcome of the resulting free kick would be and they were correct as Sido Jombati's free kick sailed into the top corner, giving Jones no chance.
Suddenly, the team that had looked so confident for the previous 73 minutes were on the back foot and the crowd was nervous with the Plymouth defeat still fresh in the memory.
Then came the Wycombe onslaught as balls had to be hacked off the line or hoofed away in a panic following a goalmouth scramble. Roberts could have put the result beyond doubt when the Chairboys were hit on the break but he decided the fingernails still needed chewing and struck his shot straight at Allsop.
Jones had to make another excellent save to stop Garry Thompson's late volley flying in and he was helped out by his defence to simply crowd the ball out in front of him as the five minutes of stoppage time ticked away.
Thankfully, the final whistle blew without the Pompey keeper being beaten again to confirm the home side's first win over Wycombe at Fratton Park and it was a victory that has almost certainly cemented a top seven finish.
Because even though this team have flattered to deceive this season, not even they are capable of losing their final three games by such a heavy margin that Cambridge United catch them by winning their final two whilst making up eighteen goals in the process.
At least it was refreshing to see this Pompey team show some character after a bad week with some excellent, if at times frustrating, attacking performances. Roberts may have made a couple of poor decisions throughout the match but he certainly made a difference yesterday.
Did he deserve his man-of-the-match award? Maybe, but Jones's contribution to the cause with a few brilliant saves and takes under pressure meant that he was arguably a stronger contender for the accolade.
The result was all that mattered, though, and Pompey fans can look forward to Tuesday night's game at Kingsmeadow knowing that their season is (99.9% certainly) going to be extended by at least two games.
Pompey Player Ratings
Paul Jones: 8 - Redeemed himself from last week.
Ben Davies: 6 - Deserves a rest after being a virtual ever-present this season.
Christian Burgess: 6 - Started shaky but grew into the game.
Matt Clarke: 7 - Dominant for the most part.
Enda Stevens: 7 - Another solid showing.
Michael Doyle: 7 - In the wars with Bean all match but eventually got the better of him.
Danny Hollands: 6 - Steady enough.
Kal Naismith: 5 - Was a bit unlucky but long term future is uncertain.
Gary Roberts: 7 - A few poor decisions but an excellent creative outlet.
Gareth Evans: 7 - Caused plenty of problems and always works hard.
Marc McNulty: 6 - Bagged an assist for his efforts.
Substitutes
Brian Murphy
Kieron Freeman (Davies 60): 7 - Looked good when he came on and provided a vital clearance off the line.
Adam Barton
Ben Close
Adam McGurk (Naismith 77): N/A - Never really got involved.
Conor Chaplin (McNulty 60): 7 - Deserves more time.
Michael Smith