View: 0% Portsmouth ace fails to deliver in rare start v Sheffield Wednesday
Terry Devlin failed to deliver as Portsmouth were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield Wednesday at Fratton Park in the Championship on Friday (25 October).
Pompey are sat bottom of the Championship after back-to-back defeats.
Just as they looked to be building some momentum following their first win of the season, a 2-1 victory over QPR at Loftus Road in the Championship on Saturday 19 October, everything has come crashing down once more.
Defeats against Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday would have really hurt considering just how close John Mousinho’s side are to both of these teams.
Victory over Sheffield Wednesday would have seen them move just one point behind the Owls, while they had the opportunity to leapfrog the Bluebirds before losing 2-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium (22 October).
Injuries certainly haven’t helped Mousinho, who was forced to start Devlin at right-back against Sheffield Wednesday, with both Zak Swanson and Jordan Williams missing from the matchday squad.
Swanson has started the majority of Portsmouth’s games at right-back this season, with Williams filling in on occasion. However, for the first time this season, neither was available against the Owls.
That left Mousinho with little choice but to start Devlin, who had made just four appearances off the bench for Portsmouth in the Championship this season.
And in what was his first-ever Championship start, Devlin failed to make an impression.
Terry Devlin struggles for Portsmouth v Sheffield Wednesday
As per Sofascore, while Devlin did make eight interceptions, four clearances and one tackle, his good work stopped there. He was also dribbled past twice while giving possession away 25 times, more times than any Portsmouth player.
He won just 25 per cent of his ground duels (one out of four) and 40 per cent of his aerial duels (two out of five). On the ball, he also struggled, completing just 61 per cent of his passes, although one of those was key.
Just three of his nine long balls were accurate, while his only shot was off target, as he also succeded with zero per cent of his attempted dribbles.
As a result, Portsmouth fans will be desperate to get either Williams or Swanson back on the pitch when they travel to the MKM Stadium to take on Hull City in the Championship on Saturday (2 November).
Luckily, Mousinho has shared an encouraging update on Williams (The News, 28 October), while he previously stated that he expected Swanson to return against Sheffield Wednesday (The News, 21 October), which implies that the 24-year-old will likely return against Hull City.
In other Portsmouth news, one player has shared a message via social media amid his absence from the squad.
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.