Pompey head to Hartlepool clinging to the hope they can finish in the top three - even if the odds are stacked against them.

A win against the Pool and defeats for three of the four sides immediately above them would take the battle to the last day when the Blues are at home to Northampton, already champions.

Boss Paul Cook wants his players to concentrate on doing their bit and then, if they get the win this weekend, looking at how the table lies.

The play-offs remains Pompey's most likely route to possible promotion.

Cook told the BBC: 'We can do anything. We'll be full tilt on Saturday (at Hartlepool) trying our best to win.

'I think when you have two games left and it's mathematically possible, then you have to believe in it. At the end of the season, the table will tell no lies. You get the points that you deserve and the top three will deserve to be the top three.

'We'll be the first to congratulate the two teams that go up with Northampton. If we're not one of them, we'll get on with the play-offs with the rest of them.'

Pompey have a number of injury issues going to the north-east. Keeper Paul Jones will miss the rest of the campaign while the likes of Kyle Bennett and Adam Webster will still be missing against Hartlepool.

Adam Barton is set to continue in defence and one of two academy products are set to be needed to fill the bench.

Hartlepool were safe from the drop some weeks ago.

Follow @Pompey_Fans

Click here to sign up for an account and reserve your username! You can then post on the Forum and add your comments to articles

Photo: Action Images

Portsmouth Polls