John Mousinho explains Colby Bishop squad decision at Portsmouth

John Mousinho has insisted Colby Bishop must now be treated the same as every other member of the Portsmouth squad.

Bishop grabbed the deserved headlines last weekend, returning to the Pompey squad earlier than expected after heart surgery against Preston North End [9 November], to score a penalty in his 12-minute cameo which sealed a first win at Fratton Park this season.

Mousinho, speaking to The News [13 November], affirmed that the club were always intending to reintroduce the striker as soon as he was given the green light to play, as he takes the injured Ibane Bowat's place in the registered 25-man Championship squad.

"It wasn’t a reaction to the Plymouth game, it was always something we wanted to do. He’s to be treated as any other squad player now," the Blues boss said.

"There’s no way we’d involve him if we’re not thinking of bringing him on. We don’t want to waste a spot. It might have given everyone a big boost [to bench Bishop without playing him] but we can’t afford to waste spots like that.

"We have other players who are competitive and champing at the bit and players who are not in the squad. They don’t deserve to be out of the squad, so we won’t waste the spot."

Colby Bishop indicates importance to Portsmouth this season

Despite having never played a sustained run of games at Championship level, Bishop was heavily backed to be a success as Portsmouth's primary striker this season on account of his prolific rate in League One.

The news of his major heart operation was a horrendous blow to the club and fans, Mousinho and the squad but most of all his young family - his wife Annabel's statement on social media after the game was truly heartwarming.

Mousinho was always going to have a careful man management task on his hands this season when naming his league squad, with an injury crisis the only reason he has not had to leave a huge clutch of senior players in the stands on matchdays.

In Bishop replacing Bowat, the likes of Tom Lowery and Ben Stevenson were denied a chance to play before January but it shows how confident Pompey are in their number nine making a decisive impact in the coming weeks.

For the club's survival ambitions, the presence of a player who has now scored 46 league goals since his arrival at Fratton in the summer of 2022 is absolutely vital, and he's ready to return to the challenge.

In other Portsmouth news, the patience of one Pompey star appears to be "wearing thin" as January gets closer.

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.