And the Pompey boss told his men the onus is on them to alleviate any Fratton nerves, after a tense Tuesday night home win over Cardiff City.
The tension was palpable against the Bluebirds, as Pompey grafted their way to a big 2-1 success to open the gap to the relegation to four points.
The mood was in contrast to much of the season, with Mousinho’s side often cast as underdogs after stepping up to the second tier for the first time in 12 years. With their home form exceptional, there was both a greater expectation and requirement for three points, which they duly delivered.
With the likes of QPR and relegation rival Plymouth arriving at PO4 in the coming weeks, it could be a similar story, but Mousinho feels his men can step up to the challenge.
He said, ‘It’s something we just have to deal with.
‘Naturally, there’s going to be a bit of tension and some nerves among the crowd and the players.
‘Both can feed off each other, but probably (against Cardiff) the players didn’t do enough to settle the nerves any.’ Portsmouth supporters may have been feeling by conceding straight after we conceded the second goal, when we were dominant for the first 20 minutes.
‘They have to do that, but I’m sure that is something we are going to have to deal with. I just think that is something that happens whether you’re in a promotion or relegation battle.
‘Those things can happen; things can get nervous, and there’s expectation both ways. We just have to find ways to cope with it.’
Mousinho highlighted there’s already been many times this season where it’s felt like Pompey have needed home results, coming off the back of desperately disappointing away performances.
That was seen when the loss at Plymouth last November was followed by a big win over Preston, which marked an upturn in Championship form. Coventry and Swansea wins came after comprehensive defeats at Derby and Bristol City, respectively, while Middlesbrough were dispatched last month after a weak loss at Blackburn.
‘Pressurised’
Mousinho added: ‘Even this season there’s been some massively pressurized games we’ve had.
‘If you look at the home games we’ve faced, we’ve placed a massive burden on our shoulders if the result didn’t go our way, because we’ve not been able to rely on our away form.
‘We’ve dealt with that really well and come through some games blowing sides away with 4-0s, 3-0s, and 4-1s. Then some have been a bit tighter.
‘We’ve dealt with that really well, though, particularly toward the back end of the game.’
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