Pompey retain hope but rivals must slip up

To stand any change of succeeding in their long shot, the Blues must beat both Hartlepool and Northampton in their remaining two matches.

Although those scorelines would be irrelevant if those sides situated above do not dramatically slip up.

In-form Accrington are currently in second spot – a point clear of Oxford United and six ahead of Pompey.

They face a trip to Wycombe tomorrow for their penultimate fixture, on paper a match which could be tricky.

Gareth Ainsworth’s side have gone six games without a win, losing two of those, yet possess one of the tightest defences in the league.

As for Stanley, it is now 10 matches undefeated since losing at home to the Blues, winning seven of them.

Michael Appleton’s Oxford are in third spot, five points ahead of Pompey, and travel to Carlisle.

However, stuttering recent form has encouraged their rivals during the run-in, with only two wins in their past six matches.

Carlisle are situated 10th in League Two and have lost their past two home games – although won at Crawley last weekend.

Hot on their heels are Bristol Rovers, who tomorrow travel to relegated York.