It's might not involve quite as many clubs as the fight for survival at the other end of the table, but the battle for promotion from League One is looking just as difficult to call right now.

After hitting a couple of recent stumbling blocks, leaders Luton have just about dropped back into the reach of the chasing pack, while second place Barnsley are looking over their shoulders courtesy of games in hand for Portsmouth and Sunderland in third and fourth respectively.

Before those games in hand, Sunderland and Portsmouth must first face each other in a huge clash at The Stadium of Light on Saturday, with the looser surely set to come away knowing that it is time to start planning for the lottery of the play-offs.

Regardless of which of these two former Premier League sides it is that comes away with that sense of a missed opportunity, there is one man in particular that will surely take to that pitch safe in the knowledge that he will be competing in the second tier next season.

Jamal Lowe has found the net on no fewer than 14 occasions in League One this season, while providing an additional eight assists for his teammates just for good measure, with those performances already starting to attract admiring from the league above, with play-off hopefuls West Brom among those said to be interested in the midfielder.

Should Portsmouth fail to convert their push back towards the second tier into any tangible success, then it will be hard to keep hold of Lowe should the Championship come calling.

While it would hurt Portsmouth significantly in terms of building for another shot at the second tier next season, you feel that Lowe would have to take the opportunity should it arise.

The midfielder has already demonstrated this season that he is ready for the Championship, and you can never guarantee when such an opportunity will come along again.

It was via the stepping stone of the non league game that Lowe got his chance in the professional game with Portsmouth, and it now feels that the time has for Lowe to take that next step. Portsmouth will hope that he doesn't have to find another stone to make it.