Portsmouth's promotion and title odds are slashed alongside Hull and Lincoln as Sunderland and Ipswich head in other direction

That’s according to the latest odds from the bookies, with Kenny Jackett’s side highly-fancied to end their wait for a return to the Championship in style!

The Blues have gone eight full seasons without occupying a place in the second tier.

They’ve come agonisingly close over the past two campaigns – only to be thwarted in the play-offs.

But this could finally be their year if the latest markets are anything to go by.

Indeed, it appears plenty of fans have been lumping their money on Pompey in recent weeks, after overcoming a below-par start to the 2020-21 season.

At the end of September, following a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Wigan, the Blues were 21st in the table without a league victory.

As a result, they were 14/1 outsiders to win the title with SkyBet and 7/2 to secure promotion – well behind the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich, Hull, Peterborough and Lincoln.

But fast forward to the present day, where the fourth-placed Blues now have eight wins in the division, and the picture is much rosier.

Pompey are now over-whelming second favourites, behind leaders Hull, to secure the League One crown at the end of the campaign and hotly-tipped to win promotion even if the top prize passes them by.

In the race for the title, SkyBet now has Jackett’s side at 9/2, which represents a massive shift.

Hull are the favourites at 13/8, but there’s no doubting that fans up and down the country are taking note of the Blues’ recent resurgence and, in particular, Saturday’s 2-0 win over promotion rivals Peterborough.

Bet365 even had Pompey’s odds out as far as 16/1 at the end of September, but they too have been forced to re-evaluate, with the Fratton Park side now at 11/2 with them to win the league.

If the Blues are right up there when it comes to talk of the title, then, naturally, they’re high up the equation when it comes to promotion as well.

11/10, in fact, with SkyBet, who are also offering odds of 8/13 for Hull, 3/2 for Lincoln, 15/8 for Sunderland, 9/4 for Peterborough, 7/2 for Charlton and 11/2 for Ipswich.

Again, that represents growing market confidence in Jackett’s side, who have tough games against Ipswich, Fleetwood and Hull coming up between now and December 18.

Those matches will test growing confidence in the team’s capabilities.

Get through those game relatively unscathed, though, and there will added belief in the Blues finally ending their wait for Championship football.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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