'The only thing that matters' - what Portsmouth director will be reminding himself as Bolton and Peterborough look to cut Blues' League One lead tonight

Eric Eisner has admitted he’ll be keeping a close eye on Pompey’s promotion rivals tonight as League One clubs with games in hand play catch-up.

But the Blues director has already set himself a goal for whatever happens this evening - to remember that only Pompey can determine their own destiny.

John Mosuinho’s side currently sit top of the League One standings following Saturday’s 4-1 hammering of Northampton. They’re not in action tonight, with Saturday’s trip to Carlisle their next test in what’s proving to be a fascinating promotion battle. However, two of their closest rivals are, with Bolton and Peterborough both having the opportunity to close the gap on the division’s long-standing pacesetters.

Neither can overtake the Blues - who presently have 63 points from their 31 games played - in the table this evening. In fact, the best fourth-placed Peterborough (56 points) can do is move up into second place and remain four points behind the Blues with just one game in hand.

Of course, the Posh moving directly behind Pompey in the standings will depend on how Bolton fare at Cambridge United. They sit third with 58 points from their 28 matches played to date. Ian Evatt’s side  - who dropped two points at home to Barnsley on Saturday - have the potential to move four clear at the top if they win all three of their games in hand. They’re currently the only team who have the capacity to knock Pompey off the top. But to live up to their potential and take a firm grip on this season’s title race, they’ll need to beat a U’s side unbeaten in their past four games under new boss Neil Harris.

Derby, who aren’t in action tonight, are also part of the equation, with Paul Warne’s side currently sitting second - four behind the Blues with a game in hand. Like Peterborough, they’re unable to overtake Pompey unless Mousinho’s side drop points.

That means automatic promotion back to the Championship remains in the Blues’ own hands. That’s a valuable commodity at this stage of the season. And taking care of your own fate without dwelling on the actions of others is something boss director Eisner is focusing on as prepares to watch the scores come in from tonight’s key League One games.

Reaching out to fans via X, formerly Twitter, the American said: ‘‘Scoreboard watching this afternoon in the USA/evening in UK but really the only thing that matters is focusing on ourselves and controlling our own destiny…. #pup.’