Kenny Jackett pledges there’ll be no Peterborough hangover from devastated Portsmouth side

Kenny Jackett is convinced his distraught players will bounce back from their automatic promotion disappointment. Picture: Robin Jones.

Last night’s 3-2 home loss to Peterborough ensured Barnsley and Luton secured the two automatic promotion spots from League One, with a game to spare.

Instead the Blues are condemned to the play-offs, with Saturday’s final match against Accrington dictating their semi-final opposition.

Jackett’s troops were dejected after that Posh defeat, many collapsing to the ground devastated at the outcome.

They have been handed today off – but their manager wants them re-focused upon Thursday’s training return.

And he’s convinced the players will be able to put the promotion blow firmly behind them.

Jackett said: ‘We were disappointed last night because we lost, but that won’t last long – by Thursday morning our resilience and determination will come through.

‘There won’t be any disappointment or hangover for the rest of the week. We will lift ourselves, it won’t be a problem.

‘By Thursday morning, we will be over this and looking positively towards the Accrington game which will set us up for the play-off semi-finals.

‘I set the tone, as manager, and there won’t be any disappointment this week, there won’t be any at all.

‘They are off today but will be back tomorrow and ready to go.

‘When I spoke to them afterwards I told them you can be disappointed Tuesday night, be disappointed Wednesday – but on Thursday morning you have to get over it

‘We would have had long enough by Thursday and have to be positive and look forward. I am 100 per cent confident that will happen.

‘You have to look forward, not back, and learn all of the time, if you can.’

The Blues have 87 points heading into Saturday’s finale.

That’s the precise tally which earned them the League Two title under Paul Cook in 2016-17.

Now it doesn’t warrant a place in League One’s top two, with Luton and Barnsley uncatchable.

Lying ahead is a two-legged play-off semi-final against opposition yet to be determined, although that will be settled on Saturday.

And Jackett knows there is still much to play for when Accrington visit Fratton Park.

He added: ‘We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, we want to try to win our final home game of the season.

‘We want to try to get 90 points, try to get third place and on Saturday have to focus on that.

‘Then there's the matter of the play-offs, which we have to look forward to. They’ll be a big challenge.’