Portsmouth boss reveals plans as Derby County aim to keep League One title hopes alive

Pompey head coach John Mousinho has revealed his plans for this evening ahead of tonight's League One fixtures.

Peterborough United host Port Vale and Derby County are away at Wycombe Wanderers. Derby are the closest team to Portsmouth with eight points the difference whilst Peterborough trail Pompey by 16 points.

A defeat for the Rams this evening could present Portsmouth with the opportunity of not only winning promotion at the weekend but also the league title. Pompey already know that a win against automatic promotion chasing Bolton Wanderers would secure them Championship football next term - but there could be an even greater price.

Nothing will be decided tonight, but the 37-year-old has revealed what he'll be doing. He will be in attendance as Pompey’s stars of the future host Preston North End in the EFL Youth Alliance Cup Final.

“We've got the Youth Cup final at Fratton Park that we'll be attending,” revealed Mousinho.

“We'll be keeping an eye on the results. It's one of the things we've been open about all season. Of course, we'll be checking throughout the game and obviously the final whistle.

“It won't affect anything as the most important thing for us is to try and finish the job in terms of promotion. It's available to us at the weekend now for the first time and that's the only focus we're going to have. We don't need to think about anything else.”

Pompey's under-18s team are third in their league table whilst North End are top of theirs. The academy team which is managed by Sam Hudson go in to the game having defeated Oxford United. They have defeated Brentford, Northampton Town, Swindon Town and Plymouth Argyle on their route to the final.

Speaking to the official club website prior to the match, Hudson said: “It’s going to be a bigger pitch than we’re used to at Fratton Park and we want to make use of that space to get off to a positive start.

“This is the first time that our academy have ever reached a national cup final, so we have to make the most of it.

“For many of our second years it’s also going to be a last chance to play at the stadium and they need take it all in.

“You have to enjoy the occasion and relish the opportunity to play in front of the Pompey fans at Fratton Park.”

Admission is priced at £5 for adults and £1 for those under the age of 18. Kick-off at Fratton park is at 7.00 pm. Tickets for the game can be bought here through Pompey’s digital ticketing system.