Portsmouth boss sees Blackpool, Doncaster and Oxford in promotion shake-up

The Pompey boss feels there's a number of outfits who could fire themselves into the hunt for top-two place over the second half of the season.

It's the Blues, Luton and Sunderland being touted for the top three places as the campaign enters its second half.

But Jackett can see threat coming from lower down the table.

He pointed to the runs the likes of Doncaster and Blackpool have produced this term.

And there is even the form of Oxford, who, after a miserable start, had lost one game in 16 in all competitions before losing to Southend on Boxing Day.

Jackett said: '˜You can go down to seventh or eighth spot and see Doncaster have had a good run.

'˜Blackpool had lost one game since we beat them in the second game until recently.

'˜You can go down to Blackpool and Doncaster and see some very good teams.

'˜Perhaps below that you are looking at Oxford who've had a bad start but are now pulling away from the relegation area.

'˜They are in a good run of form, the type of form Plymouth had last season.

'˜They went from bottom to seventh over the back 60 per cent of the season.

'˜There's different form sides at different stages of the season.'

Jackett has sensed an improving all-round quality in League One in recent seasons and feels that has been borne out this term.

He reckons that is being seen, particularly at the top end of the division, thanks to the improving quality in the Championship.

Jackett added: '˜I did think it would be a good standard league this season.

'˜I thought it would be a good league.

'˜As the Premier League and Championship get open to more countries and spread their net wider a lot of the players who could get a Championship club before can't quite get there now.

'˜That's been the case because the Championship at one stage was pretty much all British players.

'˜It has opened right up now and made League One stronger, particularly the top end.'