'Promotion is the target': Portsmouth chief sounds the battle cry as faltering Blues refuse to give up on Championship dream

That’s the message from Andy Cullen as he strives to identify the head coach equipped to revitalise the Blues’ faltering bid for a Championship return.

The chief executive is adamant a top-six League One placing continues to be their ambition with 24 matches remaining.

Realistically, that would entail purely a play-off challenge, with both automatic spots now at least 21 points out of reach.

Yet Cullen believes this week’s managerial change could haul Pompey back into the running.

He told The News: ‘Michael (Eisner) said it himself, we have 24 games still to play, that’s 72 points.

‘Promotion is the target. We have said finishing in the top six will give ourselves a chance of competing for the play-offs – and we have that collective belief we can still do it.

‘There are 24 games to go, there are games in hand, we are nine points adrift of sixth spot at the moment, we can make those games up. We’ve seen at the start of the season what a consecutive run of victories can get you.

‘It’s not like we have been losing games heavily, we’ve been drawing. It’s turning those one points into three points over consecutive games and suddenly you’re right in the mix.

‘The top six is what we set ourselves at the start of the season given the business we had completed and the talent we have in the building.

‘We have to look forward. We made the (head coach) change and still strongly believe. Having spoken to the players on Tuesday morning, they all strongly believe as well.

‘Now we can really work towards hitting the targets that we set for the season.’

Cowley and brother Nicky went in before training on Tuesday to say their farewells to the playing squad.

And Cullen accepts it’s not just the former head coach who should accept responsibility for the Blues’ wretched form.

He added: ‘There is a togetherness throughout the whole group, there is an acceptance that results haven’t been what they should have given the talent we have within the group.

‘That came from the players themselves, although I also said it.

‘We all accept a degree of collective responsibility when people lose their jobs, not least it starts with the chief executive.

‘We all know where we need to up our game if we are going to achieve those objectives.’