Portsmouth fans won’t want to admit it, but a return to the Championship for the first time in 12 years is within reach.
It’s hard not to become excited by the prospect. This club has been to the lowest depths of the Football League, nearly dropping out of League Two. Only a handful of clubs have endured similar hardships.
Four years in the basement division was tough to accept, but the Blues’ two years under Paul Cook before winning the title brought hope back to the South Coast.
But did the Fratton Faithful expect seven seasons in League One to ensue? The answer is pretty unequivocal.
If John Mousinho can end the Blues’ second-tier exodus, Pompey fans will finally accept the club is back where it belongs.
Who has the hardest run in in League One?
There can be no denying the excellent position Portsmouth have put themselves in.
However, trickier tests are to come, and the stats, unfortunately, back it up.
Soccerstats have crunched the numbers in the third tier and come up with a figure to assess the difficulty of the remaining fixtures.
The table above calculates the points per game of each team’s remaining opponents, and Portsmouth’s 1.61 is the highest in the top six by some distance.
Barnsley, on paper, have the easiest set of fixtures, with 1.28 PPG amassed by their remaining opponents. Derby County also have a kinder run, with 1.37.
Bolton Wanderers, who are coming off a draw with Barnsley, have a slightly tougher run with a total of 1.43.
Can Portsmouth manage difficult fixture list?
Of course, other factors must be considered when analysing these figures.
The first ray of light is found by looking at the Blues’ record against this season’s top six clubs. Thus far, Pompey have picked up 14 points from six matches against the current top six, 2.23 points per game, a figure higher than their season’s average against the rest of the league.
There’s no reason why Pompey won’t fancy their chances of beating Barnsley and Derby County when the two sides travel to Fratton Park in the coming weeks.
Another aspect to consider is that some of Pompey’s promotion rivals still have to play each other before the end of the season.
Bolton Wanderers travel to Derby County on 16 March, the same day the Blues head to Peterborough.
If Mousinho can maintain Pompey’s record against the current top six, the daunting fixture list could be less challenging than first thought.