Despite being the team to catch for the majority of the campaign, Portsmouth are currently the chasers in their quest to secure promotion from Sky Bet League One this season.

Kenny Jackett's men made a flying start to the season, as the South Coast club lost just one of their opening 20 league games, quickly cementing their place at the top of the League One table.

But fast forward a few months, and Pompey are in dire straits, with their push for promotion to the Championship in real jeopardy - the Blues have drew their last five league games and have failed to find a win in their last eight.

Their January business was questionable - they signed plenty of attacking players in the likes of James Vaughan, Omar Bogle, Viv Solomon-Otabor and Lloyd Isgrove to add to what was already an impressive attacking line, but failed to strengthen in areas where they perhaps needed to the most.

The Blues were linked with a move to sign Nottingham Forest's Ryan Yates throughout January, after the midfielder fell surplus to requirements under Aitor Karanka at the City Ground, but when you compare Yates' form to Pompey's since the window has closed, it really does rub salt into the wounds at Fratton Park.

Pompey failed to get a deal done for Yates in January, despite reports claiming that the 21-year old was in talks with the South Coast club - but since the appointment of Martin O'Neill at Forest, Yates has been truly exceptional for the Reds.

The midfielder has quickly established himself as a first-team regular after starring against West Brom a fortnight ago, and was a definite man-of-the-match contender in the Reds' crucial 1-0 win over Derby on Monday night.

After impressing in both League Two and League One for Notts County and Scunthorpe last season, Yates has now shown his true class in the Championship, and it is now clear that he would have fit seamlessly into Portsmouth's squad...