By Dave Noble - CUOSC

Hardly a day has gone by without a new rumour linking the club with another transfer target, or mention of another club where one (in particular) of our current squad may end up. New faces will no doubt come and old faces will no doubt go by close of business on Thursday.

It goes without saying that our new-found status slightly higher up the food chain, being a little closer to the ‘nouveau riche’ than the paupers without the proverbial pot has made the names linked a little more recognisable and the business take place a lot earlier than the norm, where we are one of those clawing around the dregs of the bargain bucket come 10:59pm.

By the time you read this column most of our business is likely to be complete and we will know the group of players who are ‘in the building’ and on whom we must nail our hopes of survival.

After the window latch clicks shut, we have the proverbial 17 cup finals for that squad to perform a miraculous turnaround in form and somehow garner enough points to give ourselves a fighting chance of survival in this division.

Regardless of the personnel on the pitch, we have to continue to believe that the latest great escape is possible and until the maths say otherwise, try to transpose that belief onto the pitch to players old and new.

Remaining in League One is of course not the be all and end all, with the future of the club looking much more solid either way, but it would be nice to have another season squaring up to the Boltons and Wigans of this world rather than the Barrows and Bradfords. So let’s get right behind the lads and you just never know.

You can join CUOSC by visiting our website at www.cuosc.org.uk. Amongst our other benefits, join us by Friday, February 2 to be in with a chance of winning the latest ‘Boardroom for Two’ experience at the Portsmouth home game. It currently costs £10 for an adult for one year and £5 for seniors and under-18s.