Caution, I urged as the floodlights came into view as we crossed the footbridge over the railway line on the way to the twisting lane past the Aquacars jet wash area.

Caution. It'll be a draw — 1-1. Others were saying 1-0 Pompey, 2-1 Pompey, 2-0 Pompey; 3-1 I think someone said. One other member of our small group agreed a draw was likely.

I rarely predict a Pompey defeat (though if Dan Walker and Trevor Sinclair pitch up at Maidenhead on the Friday night to launch the first round of the FA Cup live on the British Broadcasting Corporation's televisual service, I'll be expecting an embarrassing 2-1 defeat for the Blues). But equally I'm not, at least these days, one to get carried away by a couple of successive wins.

Pompey may have beaten AFC Wimbledon and Fleetwood in their previous two outings but the Blues v Burton, whatever the current league table told you, was a clash between a club who were in League Two 18 months ago and one who were in the Championship til last May.

It wasn't going to take the form of any sort of home-team stroll in the park, I was reasonably sure of that. And although the first five minutes and a little spell in the second half had us threatening to put Albion to the sword by about 3-0 or 5-2, generally speaking, my caution was proved to be not without foundation.

We may be top of the pile but we are not miles better than the rest of the division, even if we have proved miles better of certain teams, like Oxford and Plymouth, on our day.

There will be more defeats like the one I witnessed a couple of weeks ago against Gillingham, and there will be more dropped home points like we have seen against teams who come here determined to defend and go home with a point.

There will very probably be away games where we turn up with close to half the crowd and think we'll win, only to lose.

Burton, though, cannot be put into the same negative category of opposition as Fleetwood. They came to have a go, as you would expect of a team whose manage is named Clough, and I thought they deserved their point. You'll not find me complaining that it was a disastrous outcome for Pompey, nor that we were in any way robbed.

Burton came back from 1-0 down, we came back from 2-1 down after an awful start to the second half, and both teams went home with a point. All fine and dandy in my book.

As far as games we don't win go, I enjoyed it immensely. Pompey showed plenty of endeavour and created a decent number of chances... they just didn't have enough to keep the momentum given them by Matt Clarke's equaliser going til the end.

It was obvious to most fans that when Kenny Jackett was appointed, Pompey had found themselves a manager who knew what was needed to do well in this third tier, and to get out of it. And it's obvious to most that in the near year and a half he has been with us, he has gradually improved the squad — to the point where it is now very well-placed to have a good stab at promotion.

That's not to say success is assured. There is a very, very long way to go. I happen to think Sunderland will get stronger and stronger and win the title, as - most would say - a club of their size and standing and boasting their support should be doing.

Before the 18-19 season began I was tipping Pompey to finish third, and I still think that might happen — but I also think second spot, and automatic promotion, is a very achievable aim. And let's be honest, it would be nice to sidestep those tiresome play-offs, even if we are due to win one at some stage.

Pompey's current side has a solid, reliable look to it.

Craig MacGillivray feels like he has the safest pair of hands we have had in any keeper for a while and in front of him, Clarke is building further on a reputation that has been growing steadily since he arrived here and Jack Whatmough is maturing too. Let's face it, the man they are keeping on the bench, Christian Burgess, would be one of the first names on the teamsheet for most other League One sides.

Lee Brown is another Steady Eddie at left-back and Nathan Thompson has done well to keep Anton Walkes behind him in the right-back pecking order.

Our midfield options are varied and should carry us through a long, hard season that will inevitably bring more bans and injuries than the ones to Tom Naylor and Dion Donohue that will keep them out of the picture at Accrington on Saturday and, in Donohue's case, probably longer.

Ben Thompson clearly has player-of-the-season potential. He is the sort of midfield terrier we Pompey fans love — equally good in attack or when backs are against the wall. The highest compliment I can pay him is that going into tackles that he looks second favourite to win, only to win them, he has once or twice reminded me of Mick Kennedy — an illusion probably helped by the fact he has the same build and frame as Scully, and similar hair. If he is one tenth as effective as the legendary Irishman over the course of a Fratton career that may or may not last a long time, he'll have done his bit.

With Ben Close and Walkes other contenders for the defensive midfield spots, we should not run short of cover, while in the attacking midfield berths, Gareth Evans would always be in my team. He is, after all, a blue and we know who he hates.

Ronan Curtis and Jamal Lowe have been both revelations in what we've had of the season so far, and have earned their current dips in form. Both are young, both are bound to be a little inconsistent — we will just have to accept that as we await their hopefully imminent return to matchwinner status.

Up front, well, I must admit I am a Brett Pitman fan, and I have said all along he will be Pompey's top scorer this season. That's taking nothing away from Oli Hawkins, who is now adding goals to the assisting side of things that has played a big part in our early-season successes.

Some games will suit Pitman, others Hawkins. Maybe we will see both at some point — as a fan of the good old 4-4-2 system I'd actually be delighted to see them both starting, perhaps when Curtis or Lowe need a rest, though I doubt it will happen in the near future.

I like to think that if Harry Redknapp had been manager of any of the teams we'd played so far this season, his pre or post-match comments would have included his favourite 'Look at their bench' line, because Jackett and Joe Gallen have certainly assembled a squad, not just a team. I've not even mentioned David Wheeler, Joe Mason or Louis Dennis. Well, I have now. And these days, having a good 18 is so much more important than having a good 11 or 12.

So the heading for my Pompey outlook at this third-of-the-season-gone stage would probably be... cautious optimism.

I see no reason why we should tumble down the table and fade out of the promotion picture — equally I'm not sure I see much evidence we'll be 10 points clear of the pack by the time the 34th anniversary of the Alan Biley-inspired added-time 2-1 win over Oxford comes around (note to younger readers — that's what those of us of a certain vintage call what you call Christmas).

I'll probably approach most games as I approached the fabulous floodlit Fratton on Tuesday night … warning against anyone thinking we just have to turn up every week.

By the way, that walk to the ground never gets any less exciting, does it? And you can't beat making the trek on a night when there's a chill in the air. I think I love approaching Fratton under the lights as much as the first time I did it — September 28, 1982, when Neil Webb inspired us to victory against Millwall.

But I digress. Back to the present day, and some weeks, in all honesty, we possibly will just need to turn up — but other times, we will come a cropper, and probably when we least expect it.

'Top of the league, with Kenny and Joe,' they're singing at the moment and after all that's happened in the past decade you can't blame anyone in blue for singing about the league position in the loudest of voices.

I hope we all carry on enjoying the drive along the League One highway — but I hope we can all proceed with caution.

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