View: Ryley Towler must show he’s deserving of Portsmouth chance in pre-season
Portsmouth’s promotion to the Championship means a new and tougher challenge for the squad heading into the 2024-25 season.
It’s do-or-die in terms of stepping up and aiming to become a key trustee of John Mousinho this year, a particularly uphill task for players who struggled with injury or for game time in a triumphant past 12 months, such as defender Ryley Towler.
The 22-year-old is among those who was pictured training with the club in Croatia in footage posted on Portsmouth’s official website [11 July].
Towler started just three matches in League One last season and totalled only 257 minutes of football across the entire league campaign, ending 28 matches as an unused substitute [Soccerway] – due in huge part to the excellent Pompey defensive record keeping him out of reckoning.
Ryley Towler keen to impress John Mousinho and earn Portsmouth chance
Having left permanently from his hometown club Bristol City to come to Portsmouth, one thing that is certain about Towler is his attitude and professionalism are second-to-none.
The 22-year-old played the full 90 minutes of the final match of last term at Lincoln City, keeping a clean sheet, but Pompey had ultimately already lifted the League One title – Mousinho said after the game that Towler knows the task it takes to become a centre-half for Portsmouth.
That is his aim now, and whilst he understands his struggles for action, Towler’s mission may become more difficult with Regan Poole and Tom McIntyre among those soon returning to full fitness.
And that is without any further defensive acquisitions from Pompey, who are still in the midst of a busy summer of transfer business.
In 2022-23 after arriving at the club in the winter window, Towler had swiftly become a regular starter and was handed the number four shirt ahead of his first full season.
The centre-half then saw his playing time dwindle, but that high-level potential is there due to his amiable and coachable character.
Towler’s current Pompey deal runs until 2026, and it is considered that a loan move is the most likely outcome in the short-term. Either way, it will be interesting to see which route the club take next.
In other Portsmouth news, a BBC pundit has had this to say about Kusini Yengi.
For more Portsmouth news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.