Nicolas Schmid makes ‘intensity’ admission after ‘dream’ Portsmouth debut
Nicolas Schmid says the intensity of English football is entirely different to that of Austria after making his “dream” debut for Portsmouth on Saturday.
John Mousinho responded to calls for Schmid to be given his chance between the sticks as he made his bow at Fratton Park against Oxford United.
The 27-year-old stopper was signed in the summer from Linz in his homeland, having achieved promotion to the Austrian top flight as his side’s number one last term.
Speaking to BBC Radio Solent’s Andy Moon after the game [5 October], Schmid said: “There are so many things different to in Austria – the intensity, the speed, the pace of the game mainly.
“It was my dream to play in England since I was a kid, so it’s great to make my debut for this club.
“I found out [on Friday] before training that I was going to be playing, and I slept well but was really excited.”
Portsmouth still searching for victory
From Schmid’s perspective, Saturday was a memorable day and one he will cherish for a long time after stepping in for Will Norris, whose performance against Stoke City in midweek was much maligned.
For Pompey as a whole, it was another frustrating afternoon, following Elias Sorensen’s early missed penalty and Louie Sibley’s equaliser to cancel out Mark O’Mahony’s second goal in as many games.
It now means Mousinho – who was unable to get one over on his former side like he did last season at Fratton Park – now has to wait until after the season’s second international break to dig out the club’s first win back in the Championship.
Nine games have passed and we are now into what was considered to be the block of fixtures the Blues were waiting for as a means of a more accurate test, and now relegation battle talk is beginning to do the rounds.
While that is far too early to confirm or deny, the visits to QPR and Cardiff City later this month cannot come quickly enough.
In other Portsmouth news, Ian Darke admits it is a “rocky road” ahead.
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