Why Danny Cowley needs no motivation for Portsmouth's trip to Ipswich

In the reverse fixture between the two sides back in October, the Tractor Boys ran riot at Fratton Park – slamming four past the Blues without reply.

After conceding on the cusp of half-time through Macauley Bonne’s opener, the hosts capitulated following the interval, as Conor Chaplin and Sone Aluko extended the score.

Then Wes Burns added insult to injury by firing home the fourth with 15 minutes remaining.

The defeat, Pompey's sixth of the League One season, saw them drop to 17th in the table.

Nearly five months on from that forgettable night, Cowley this week saluted the strongest feeling of unity he's known at Pompey since arriving last March.

However, that contrasts greatly to the emotions he felt as Paul Cook returned to PO4 to inflict a humiliating defeat on his former side - a result which the current Fratton Park boss revealed has played on his mind ever since.

It was a tough moment, a really tough moment,’ Cowley said.

‘I think when, naturally, things go against you and you have difficult games, performances and results, I’ve always kept them close.

‘It’s how, maybe, some people take those moments from the mind. For me, I always try to keep them close and use the disappointment to fuel me and we all live that.

‘We felt the pain of that October night at Fratton Park. I know it hurt the players and staff and really hurt our supporters.

‘We’ve kept it close and we’re looking forward to our opportunity to maybe put some of those wrongs right on Saturday.'

Since Pompey’s defeat to the Tractor Boys that night, they’ve embarked on a rollercoaster journey – seeing them rise to play-off contenders, drop to mid-table, then back into top-six fight contention again.

In fact, the Blues have lost only six matches since they played host to Ipswich and sit only one place below them heading into tomorrow's game.

And after winning six out of their last seven matches, Cowley has described his pride in his side’s progress this season.

He said: ‘Without a doubt (progress has been made since).

'Our culture has improved and I think a lot of that’s come through hard work and building those relationships. I also think some personnel changes have helped with that.

‘I think we’re now more resilient, more determined and grittier than what we were.

‘As a consequence, when we do have a difficult moment, and even in this period where we’ve been able to take 19 out of 21 points, we’ve still had difficult moments.

‘If you look at the sending off last Saturday against Accrington, and going three down to Fleetwood, we’ve been able to respond in a much more positive way.

‘That’s credit to the players because they deserve so much praise for their relentless consistency.’