'Crowing again' Portsmouth, Ipswich, Bolton, Sheffield Wednesday and Derby name-dropped by Peterborough chief as he identifies teams to 'be up there' at end of League One season

And the Posh chief believes the Blues are one of the sides that will be pushing hard for promotion this season after name dropping clubs he believes will be ‘up there’ come the end of the campaign.

Danny Cowley’s Pompey are currently third in the League One table after winning three and drawing two of their opening five games.

That puts them one point and a place behind second-placed Peterborough, who are looking for an instant return to the Championship and have won four of their five matches to date.

But speaking in the latest episode of The Hard Truth podcast, MacAnthony said he wasn’t getting caught up by his side’s good start to the season, especially with the number of ‘big teams’ – including a new-look Pompey – in another tough-looking division.

He said: ‘You don't get carried away. It's a start, you don't get carried away.

'It means nothing. I keep saying this.

'There are people saying Oxford have lost games, Wycombe have lost games. It doesn’t matter.

'About two years ago we lost two of the first five. It doesn't matter.

'It's a difficult league, it's full of big teams.

'You know, Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday, you're looking at their players, looking at their bench – (Barry) Bannon's not there, (Josh) Windass is not in the team.

'There are some big, big teams in this league and some big teams starting to crow again – ala Portsmouth – and then you’ve obviously got Ipswich who are top of the table. They were expected to be up there and have a solid start and love a clean sheet.'

Peterborough travel to Derby on Saturday, before making the trip to Fratton Park on September 3.

They also have a journey to Bolton on the horizon as well.

And MacAnthony believes they are the type of tests which will really prove his side’s mettle.

‘The acid test is the away form,’ he added.

'The EFL gave us a real test in the first half of the season, with the likes of Plymouth away, you know we've got Derby next away, followed I think by Portsmouth away, followed by Bolton away - they're all teams that are going to be up there, so you look at that away run.

'Touch wood, we're going to be very good at home, but you want to see the away form be (good as well).

'Can we put that performance in in front of 30,000 Derby fans screaming at us next week and then following that, Portsmouth, who have started very well?’