Marlon Pack makes ‘unbelievable’ admission after Portsmouth secure survival
Portsmouth fans can finally relax after Championship survival was secured thanks to a 1-0 win over Watford on Easter Monday.
It had been a tense season with survival in the balance throughout the campaign.
However, a fine run of form throughout 2025 ensured that the club moved up the table and secured their place in the Championship with two games to spare.
Now, while this has caused celebration amongst the Fratton Park faithful, one man is less enthusiastic about the recent achievement.
Marlon Pack, who has been the Portsmouth captain since 2023, has downplayed the club’s survival and has instead offered a different outlook on Pompey maintaining their second-tier status.
Marlon Pack explains why he will not celebrate Portsmouth’s survival
It’s been a contrasting month for Portsmouth. After the defeat to Coventry, some fans wanted John Mousinho sacked.
Yet, after seven points from three games, the club has moved up to 16th and are now safe.
However, after a long season, Pack has refused to celebrate their recent success
Despite claiming it was an “unbelievable achievement” to secure survival, the club captain insists that due to the mentality of the team, they will not celebrate staying up.
| Portsmouth’s last two fixtures | Date (kick-off) |
| Sheffield Wednesday vs Portsmouth | Saturday, April 26 (15:00) |
| Portsmouth vs Hull City | Saturday, May 3 (12:30) |
One section of his interview with The News (April 23) said: “It has been an unbelievable achievement, but it’s not something we should be celebrating – and that’s because of the mentality of this group.
“It’s a different achievement to winning the League One title, but one of equal worth to the football club and for us as players considering we’ve gone through so much this season.
“No wins after the opening nine games, a tough start, Colby’s heart issue, injuries, adapting to this level. Yet we have come through that adversity and, since Christmas, this group has shown we belong at this level.
“Don’t get me wrong, while we shouldn’t be celebrating, I still think it’s such a big achievement and one we will be proud of.”
Marlon Pack proves why he is Portsmouth’s captain
It takes an excellent player to captain a side to survival after promotion the previous year. However, it takes an unbelievable leader to complete this achievement and choose not to celebrate it.
The mentality of Pack is magnificent, and he is no doubt one of the biggest reasons why Pompey avoided the drop this campaign.
This view has clearly rubbed off on the squad as well. Callum Lang recently expressed his frustration at not being Portsmouth’s top scorer anymore, proving it isn’t just Pack who is not okay accepting second best.
These types of comments clearly show the squad’s elite mentality and prove why they stayed in the division.
Hopefully, the club can continue to grow next season with this mentality spurring the club on to bigger and better things.