Pompey could be playing Championship football next term if they can secure a play-off position in the coming weeks.
With just six games of the campaign remaining, the Blues are currently only outside the top six on goal difference.
But whatever the outcome, Jack Whatmough believes they can look back on the season with a great deal of pride.
And the defender knows that it will not be easy visiting Rochdale on Saturday, with the hosts desperately trying to escape the drop.
He said: “It’s going to be a similar situation to when we played Oldham a few weeks ago because they’re fighting for their lives.
“But we’re also battling to get into the play-offs. We’ve got some big games coming up, but we can’t really look past this one.
"There’s something for us to build on next season, whether we go up or are playing in this division again."
“It’s a really young team we’ve got and there were a lot of new staff and players after we came up last year.
“So the position we’re in now is credit to the boys who have been involved – no matter what happens in the next few weeks.
“There’s something for us to build on next season, whether we go up or are playing in this division again.”
Whatmough is the only player remaining from the Pompey side that last visited Spotland in March 2014.
They were beaten 3-0 that night in Richie Barker’s final game as manager, as relegation out of the Football League began to look a real possibility.
“It’s where my dad’s from,” said Whatmough, “so a lot of my family will be going to the game on Saturday.
“I suppose it’s half-home for me really, so it will be nice to go back there and hopefully we’ll get a better result than last time.
“The situation – on and off the pitch – is better for the club now and we’ve come a long way in the past few years.”