The Short Road Ahead

Last updated : 28 February 2008 By Jim Bonner
March looks like it's going to be a season defining month for Portsmouth this year. If we get it right we will be looking at a realistic shout for fourth place in the Premier League and we'll be in the FA Cup Semi-Finals.

Get it wrong and the best we can hope for is a top half finish. The line between success and failure has never been thinner but the games we play in the upcoming month will have a huge say on whether this season is indeed a success or a failure.

We start March with a very difficult trip to Goodison Park. If we fail to beat Everton then I think that finishing in a Champions League place is out of the question (that's if it was even in the question in the first place.) If we can claim victory over the Toffees then that sniff of European football will have got a lot stronger.

Then of course we go to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the FA Cup. The odds are well stacked against us but having watched our Great Escape run of 05/06 again recently I know that we have overcome much greater odds than this before.

A draw would be a great result there and we all know that the Red Devils hate playing at Fratton Park. Whilst the extra game might not do our league form much good I would be willing to sacrafice that for a trip to Wembley.

When we do resume our league campaign we will host both sides from Birmingham. City in midweek is a game we simply have to win and the visit of Aston Villa will have a significant say on where both sides will finish in the table.

We can't afford to lose to Martin O'Neill's men but should we take the three points then there's more than a chance of playing in the UEFA Cup next season.

Following those two home games is a trip to White Hart Lane. We all know that we suffer terrible luck at Tottenham but this campaign has seen us win at St. James' Park and Villa Park for the first time in decades and so maybe this is the season where we break the curse of the Lane.

Pompey end the month with the visit of Wigan Athletic to Fratton Park. There can be no excuses for failing to win this game against Steve Bruce's struggling side.

So the greatest reward at the end of a gruelling month would be a points total of 59 going into April and a spot in the FA Cup Semi-Finals. The absolute minimum total we should be aiming for is 50 points as we should beat Birmingham and Wigan at home but there's a great opportunity to achieve something special if we can get results in those key games with Everton and Villa.

It's going to be a bumpy ride ahead, but here's hoping there are more highs than lows by the time we're playing pranks on April Fools Day.