Portsmouth now have nine games left of the season to achieve what they sit out to do from the start of the campaign - promotion back to the Championship.

As things stand, Pompey sit in 4th place in the League One table with 60 points from 35 games, just two behind Rotherham United, who occupy second place in the division.

Just three points separate second from 8th in the league table, which suggests that the race for promotion will go down to the wire.

Here, we take a look at THREE factors that will determine Portsmouth's fortunes...

Away form

This has come back to haunt Pompey in recent times, as they have suffered three consecutive defeats on the road, taking their tally of away losses for the season in League One to nine.

The inconsistency on their travels needs to be averted if the side want to continue to stand a chance of achieving promotion.

The best sequence of results Pompey have managed away from home in the league so far this campaign has been to go four games unbeaten from the start of January until the start of February.

A key factor behind it is that they do not score enough goals. The side has an average of just over a goal per game away from home this term.

Rotation

One thing that cost Pompey at the climax of last season was that the side became jaded because of fatigue. Kenny Jackett will not want his team to fall just short for a second consecutive time.

What that means is that rotation in the coming weeks is key. He has a big squad to choose from, and to prevent tiredness becoming an issue, every player should be given their chance to impress.

That way, the squad can stay fresh. It is likely that by the end of the campaign, Pompey will have played 60 matches.

Success against teams around them

In their run-in, Pompey have to come up against Oxford and Rotherham United, and so far this term facing teams in the higher reaches of the table has proven to be a challenge.

Pompey have won just three out of the twelve games they have played against the league's current top eight sides.

That record needs to change, as dropping six points to Oxford and Rotherham respectively in the coming weeks could potentially cost them dearly.

QUIZ: Can you name these 11 Pompey flops?