Pompey season set to become play-off shootout

The Blues boss can see the campaign getting closer to becoming win-or-bust with five games to go.

Jackett feels the amount of teams in-and-around the play-offs still to face each other as the season reaches a climax makes for a high-stakes scenario.

Pompey travel to Plymouth on Saturday with both Charlton and Peterborough still to come to Fratton Park.

A host of the other teams battling for the top six are still to face each other in the coming weeks.

Jackett feels that is going to make for pressure clashes which will define who hits their targets – and who will come up short.

He said: ‘As the results go down it almost becomes matchplay.

‘It’s one v one and how you get on that particular day. That’s what it’s getting down to now.’

The play-off picture continues to evolve after each round of games, with teams falling out of the picture or cementing their top-six ambitions.

Despite having games in hand, Bradford’s weekend thrashing at Blackpool leaves them in 14th and well and truly out of contention.

In the other direction, Rotherham put a seven-point gap between them and Pompey in fourth place.

Jackett had half an eye on fourth spot being open after a poor run of form from the Millers.

Now it looks back to his original suggestion fifth and six are still up for grabs for his side. Jackett still believes it will be close to a 75-point total needed to take one of those slots.

He said: ‘It’s exciting and overall the points total will still be high for fifth and sixth spot. I do think that will be the case.’

– JORDAN CROSS