Portsmouth boss John Mousinho is determined to give Wanderers a tougher game this time around.

The Whites ran out 3-0 winners when the sides met at the UniBol earlier this season thanks to goals from Dion Charles, Kieran Lee and Eoin Toal.

But Pompey have shown an improvement since Mousinho took charge at Fratton Park, winning two of their last three matches.

He told The Portsmouth News: “It was a tough game for Pompey at the time, not just because of the result but the performance, and the way Bolton went about their business was excellent and we couldn’t get to grips with them at the time.

“It was a good yardstick in where the side were at and maybe a reflection of the confidence in the group at the time.

“There were still some good players out there and clearly there’s some good players in the changing room who are capable of excellent performances, but confidence was low at the time.

“That is something we’ve really focused on picking up over the past few weeks by letting players know how much we’ve backed them and how much we think they’re able to go out and deliver a result.

“It’s difficult to say and to put a number on it, but I’d like to think that it is up to individuals to have a look at the side and see what they think has progressed. There are some things that have worked for us really well and others that haven’t.

“One thing that we are really aware of is that we have got a long way to go, there’s a lot of progress still to make. While the performance was really good on Saturday (against Cheltenham) for 45 minutes, there’s probably another 45 where we need improvements.

“We’re not getting carried away with anything, we’re making sure we keep working hard and working on the right things and we know it’ll be one of those things that happens over the medium and long term.”

Wanderers currently sit fourth in the League One table following Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Port Vale.

“We look to get results wherever we go and try to win games either at home or away,” Mousinho added.

“More importantly, what we want to see is progress. We want to have a look at where the side was when myself and all the coaching staff came in and see if we can move that forward bit-by-bit every week.

“The Bolton game is another good yardstick of how far we’ve come because that was the last game before I came in where we lost to them away from home.”