£540,000 and counting - the staggering prize money Portsmouth have banked in EFL Trophy under Kenny Jackett

Pompey celebrate their EFL Trophy triumph at Wembley in March 2019. Picture: Joe Pepler

And when it comes to Pompey's list of priorities, it's also down the pecking order.

But after Tuesday night's victory at Cheltenham, the Blues remain on track to reach a third EFL Trophy final in as many seasons

Despite Kenny Jackett making 11 changes, Pompey cruised to a 3-0 win at Whaddon Road and moved into the third round of the now-named Papa John’s Trophy.

The Blues, of course, remain holders of the silverware, having defeated Sunderland in front of a sold-out Wembley in March 2019.

And Pompey still have the 2020 final with Salford City to play after it was postponed in April amid the coronavirus crisis.

GIven Jackett’s record in the tournament, you wouldn’t bet against the Blues going all the way to the national stadium again this season.

The Pompey boss’ record in the tournament is staggering – as is the sheer amount of prize money that has been added to the Fratton Park coffers.

Kenny Jackett in the Cheltenham dugout - where he took his earnings in the EFL Trophy as Pompey boss to £540,000. Picture: Nigel Keene

Since taking charge of Pompey in June 2017, Jackett has overseen 24 matches in the EFL Trophy.

And on prize money and participation fees alone, the Blues have earned a whopping £540,000.

Each team who enters the competition automatically receives a £20,000 windfall.

But there are bonuses for every win – from the group stages up to Wembley.

In Jackett’s first season, Pompey crashed out of the third round to a Chelsea under-21s team that featured the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu. Yet the Blues still netted £65,000 for their troubles.

When Pompey went all the way to hoisting the silverware aloft after beating Sunderland on penalties, they garnered a cool £260,000.

A date for last campaign's final with Salford is still to be arranged.

Yet £155,000 has already been coined, while the winner will earn a further £100,000 and the runner-up will receive £50,000.

This term, Pompey’s earnings in the competition are so far up to £60,000. There were £10,000 gains from group-stage wins over Colchester and Southend then £20,000 for beating Cheltenham.

What’s more, ticket sales and TV revenue haven’t even been considered into these calculations.

When Sunderland were defeated by Pompey on penalties in the 2019 final, director Charlie Methven claimed the Black Cats banked around £1m in total. That suggests the Blues accrued a similar figure.

Pompey fans are still awaiting news on whether they will be able to attend the Salford match whenever it is eventually rearranged.

The Blues have astoundingly sold more than 51,000 tickets – which surpasses the 42,000 who attended the Sunderland clash.

The EFL want supporters to be in attendance, hence why there’s still no date in the diary.

With a Covid-19 vaccine now being rolled out, officials may hold out a little longer if larger groups of spectators can again attend stadia if the most vulnerable are already protected.

If the clash against the Ammies does somehow go ahead as originally scheduled, the Blues will again net circa seven figures for the 2019-20 season.