Last chance play-off saloon for Pompey

Portsmouth need a win over Coventry City on Tuesday to keep their season alive after Saturday's draw against Preston North End left them nine points adrift of the play-off places with only six games left of a campaign that started at the Ricoh Arena in August.

It is a testament to the progress that Pompey have made since being beaten by Freddy Eastwood's double that day that there is disappointment in the air at Fratton Park. Steve Cotterill was severely hampered in terms of his squad size and potential new signings by the financial problems which it made a very real possibility at one stage that the South Coast club would go out of business.

'While it`s still possible, you have to fight for the three points,' said on-loan midfielder Jonathan Hogg, quoted in The News, after the weekend game.

'It`s obviously going to be hard. But all we can do is keep winning and hope other teams slip up.

'You just, work trying to win each game, and now we need to beat Coventry on Tuesday evening.

'We can`t just give up because of this result.`

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