The points total Portsmouth will need to secure a League One play-off spot

Pompey head coach Danny Cowley. Picture: Joe Pepler

Four successive victories since Danny Cowley took over in the driving seat have catapulted the Blues back into the top six.

Having slumped as low as 11th, Pompey now sit fourth in the table and are reaping the dividends of a change in manager after parting company with Kenny Jackett last month.

Cowley's main task, when appointed as head coach, was to secure the Blues a play-off spot for a third successive season.

Following wins over Ipswich, Shrewsbury, Rochdale and Wigan on Monday, Pompey are firmly on track to achieve that.

And with eight matches remaining, it might take only a minimum of nine points to ensure the Blues’ season is prolonged.

In the past 10 campaigns – excluding last term when the table was decided via points-per-game amid the coronavirus pandemic – the side that has finished sixth has garnered an average of 73 points.

That was the exact figure that Doncaster had in the 2018-19 season, along with Millwall (2016-17), Swindon (2012-13) and Stevenage (2011-12).

Of course, there have been some exceptions to the average in the past decade.

In 2009-10, Huddersfield accrued a whopping 80 points but could only finish sixth.

Yet in 2014-15, 69 points was enough to get Paul Cook's Chesterfield Town in the play-offs before their defeat to Preston in the semi-finals.

Over the past 20 seasons, the figure is slightly higher at 74.5 points.

However, in-form Pompey will certainly be aiming to finish higher than sixth given their recent performances.

They currently sit nine points behind Peterborough in second but have a game in hand.

Yet if the Blues harbour ambitions of automatic promotion, there is little margin for error.

In the past 20 years, it has taken 87.5 points to clinch a top-two berth.

When Colchester finished runners-up in 2006, they clinched only 79 points. However, on the other end of the spectrum, a potent Blackburn outfit in 2018 picked up 96 points but missed out on the silverware to Wigan.

And if there are any extreme optimists out there who reckon Pompey could somehow still clinch the crown – like they did in 2017 – then they can give up hope now.

The average points total of the League One champions in the past two decades is 94.15.