Despite last Monday's defeat at Charlton, it's been a remarkable run of form for Portsmouth over the last month or so, with Pompey winning four of their last six league matches to give themselves a realistic chance of survival after what looked like a lost cause at the turn of the year. Harry Redknapp is a manager very familiar to these relegation dogfights, but if the south coast outfit do manage to stay up this time around the Portsmouth chief is more likely to be re-named Harry Houdini by the Fratton Park faithful. Givemefootball's Mark Shail got the thoughts of experienced goalkeeper Dean Kiely, who has turned out to be one of Redknapp's inspirational mid-season signings.
Q:THAT CHARLTON RESULT ASIDE, YOU MUST BE DELIGHTED WITH THE RECENT TURNAROUND IN FORTUNES?
A:Yes, things have gone pretty well of late. I joined in January hoping to make a contribution and the team's results over the last few months have put us in a position where there's still everything to play for.
Q:WHEN YOU ARRIVED IN JANUARY, DID YOU THINK THERE WAS STILL A REALISTIC CHANCE OF STAYING UP?
A:To be honest, I did. Every footballer wants to be involved in a situation where every game means something and I came here because all Portsmouth's remaining games fell into that category and it was a real challenge. To produce six games unbeaten, prior to the Charlton result, was a great effort at this stage of the season and I believe we have enough quality here to stay up.
Q:YOU'VE MADE A BIG IMPACT SINCE JOINING THE CLUB FROM CHARLTON, IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT SOME OF THE OTHER NEW SIGNINGS INITIALLY TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO SETTLE IN?
A:That's possibly the case, but it's not about individuals - it's all about the team's results. Obviously there were a number of new faces that arrived in January and it's only natural that they are going to take a bit of time to get to know everyone, but the results over the last month have shown how much everyone is pulling together.
Q:WHAT'S THE SECRET BEHIND POMPEY'S REMARKABLE RECENT RUN?
A:It's hard to say - we beat Manchester City 2-1, with a last minute goal from Pedro Mendes, and since that win the confidence has grown week by week. It's strange to say I know, but had we won that game 3-0 if probably wouldn't have had the same impact as winning it in injury time – the supporters were on such a high after that. I think it helps as well when you've got a manger with such experience of these situations, as well as having an abundance of charisma, which is so important for getting the best out of his players.
Q:WITH YOU BEING A FORMER CHARLTON PLAYER, WAS IT PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATING TO BE BEATEN AT THE VALLEY LAST MONDAY?
A:Many people may be thinking that but I really didn't see it that way. I'm a professional footballer and football is my job – just because I was going back to a place where I used to work didn't make it a more important game as far as I was concerned. I had a wonderful time at Charlton and I was very appreciative of the reception I got from the fans at the Valley but I was fully focussed on getting a result for Portsmouth.
Q:IT MUST HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTING TO HAVE COME AWAY WITH NOTHING FROM THAT MATCH HAVING TAKEN THE LEAD?
A:Yes it was. For 70 minutes we looked comfortable, but very often in games the most important stage of the match is the last 15 minutes. If we could have our time back we would like to replay the last quarter of that match.
Q:YOU MUST BE HOPING FOR THREE POINTS AT HOME TO SUNDERLAND THIS WEEKEND?
A:We're certainly not under-estimating Sunderland in any way because they showed against Manchester United that they're more than capable of going anywhere in this division and getting a result – don't forget they are playing for pride. I'm sure it's going to be a tough game and we're not taking anything for granted.
