BBC reporter shares ‘Loophole’ exploited by Portsmouth to register Bishop v Preston
Colby Bishop made an emotional return to action for Portsmouth earlier than expected on Saturday, which has been explained by Andy Moon.
BBC Radio Solent’s main man on Pompey posted on X [9 November] to reveal that the club were able to register Bishop for their Championship squad by deregistering Ibane Bowat, who is ruled out for an extended period.
John Mousinho had to cull Bishop and several others from the club’s 25-man league squad, which cannot be resubmitted until January, but the prolific striker has recovered better than expected from major heart surgery in the summer.
His late penalty sealed his club’s first win at Fratton Park this season in a 3-1 success over Preston North End on 9 November to move Pompey off the bottom of the table.
Moon said: “Pompey de-registered Ibane Bowat as he hasn’t appeared in a single squad since the 25 list was registered. Seems like a loophole has allowed Bishop back in.”
Portsmouth crowd stand to a man for Colby Bishop
In a challenging season in the Championship which is likely to become a full-scale scrap this term, Saturday was the highlight of Portsmouth’s season so far by a long stretch and belonged to Bishop.
The striker was anticipated to be the team’s source of goals this year despite his never having competed at this level, exceeding 20 league strikes in each of his last two League One seasons. Pompey have struggled to find the net regularly and have been under the cosh defensively.
When news of his heart issue came through, well-wishes poured in from the Pompey community and beyond, and to welcome him back on the pitch for such a rapturous Fratton reception just over three months later is iconic.
In true Bishop style, he confidently tucked away the penalty to wrap up three much-needed points against Preston, lifting the Blues off the bottom of the table ahead of the international break.
The next step for Pompey’s much-adored number nine is to kick on and get back to his consistent best – and if he can perform in the Championship, the club’s survival chances will have enjoyed an almighty boost.
In other Portsmouth news, Ian Darke wants to see more of a rarely seen Blues player.
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