This is what Portsmouth defender James Bolton believes will be needed to achieve promotion once season recommences

James Bolton believes Pompey will need to win as many as seven of their final nine games to go up.
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But the Blues defender believes Kenny Jackett’s side are capable of delivering that run over the remainder of the campaign.

Pompey, like the rest of football, is waiting to hear what the way forward is for the game amid the coronavirus pandemic across the globe.

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Elite football in England is currently suspended with the Football League not due to return until April 3 - at the earliest.

Uefa last night released a statement suggesting it remains their ambition to complete the football season by June 30.

Pompey will certainly need to move back towards their very best form as and when the action gets underway again, after picking up one point from six against promotion rivals Peterborough and Fleetwood.

After already producing record-breaking form this term, Bolton sees absolutely no reason why that wouldn’t be possible in a promotion battle where one point currently separates six sides.

He said: ‘It’s crazy. It’s so tight it’s ridiculous.

James BoltonJames Bolton
James Bolton
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‘It’s there for anyone, if anyone steps up and picks up their form it will hold them in good stead.

‘It’s good for the fans who are neutral that it’s quite open.

‘We’d want to be in a more comfortable position than what we are. It’s not worked out like that, though, so we just have to get on with it.

‘You’re going to need to win six or seven, at least.

‘We’ve done it before so why can’t we do it again?

‘That’s the way we’ve got to look at it.’

Seven wins from Pompey’s remaining nine League One games would see Jackett’s side finish on an 81-point total.

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That would be well short of the 88-point return which failed to deliver automatic promotion last term, while Bolton himself failed to make the top two the previous season as Shrewsbury finished up on 87 points.

The 25-year-old stressed he doesn’t see the number needed to hit the top two this term hitting those elevated levels once again, however.

That sentiment is backed by the fact there has been such a wide variety in points return needed to make the top two over the past 20 years.

Colchester went up automatically with 79 points in 2006 while Blackburn needed 96 points to do the same two years ago.

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There is the also the consideration of two fewer games than usual being played this term following Bury’s expulsion from the league.

Bolton added: ‘The number changes every year.

‘At Shrewsbury we got to 87 points and still didn’t go up and last year it was 88 points here and that didn’t get automatic promotion

‘It changes every year, but I think it will be a bit lower than those totals this season.

‘It changes but it is there for anyone.

‘Football works in funny ways but I think we just need to keep working at it and chalk off the wins.’

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