Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie admits the club's best hope for Wednesday's court date with HM Revenue & Customs is to delay the winding-up order.

HMRC issued the petition over unpaid debts at the end of last year and the club failed in their bid to have it struck out by a High Court judge in a hearing on January 16.

Since then, Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai has become Pompey's fourth owner of the season after last week acquiring Ali Al Faraj's 90% stake in the club.

Chainrai's main intention is to recover money he is owed by the club, however, and Portsmouth - who visit St Mary's in the fifth round of the FA Cup this Saturday - are seeking yet another owner to take on responsibility for the long term.

Storrie, who was been charged with running the club on a day-to-day basis, is optimistic they will avoid going into administration.

He said "Our priority is Wednesday's court date with the Revenue.

"Our objective, now the new owner is in place, is to seek from the courts a stay of the winding-up order. We need time for a new buyer to come in and then we will be in a position to pay the Revenue.

"If the Revenue wind this club up, then they will get nothing, and that cannot be the right answer. We're in talks with potential new owners, which would be our fifth owner already this season.

"I've heard the joke about how we have had more owners than wins this season but the media have been putting the knife in all season and no-one is going to stop now."