Mousinho issues key Portsmouth injury update on Lang and Shaughnessy
John Mousinho has discussed the injury outlook after Portsmouth managed to break their away hoodoo at the weekend.
On returning to his former club Oxford United on Saturday (15 February), Mousinho’s Blues grabbed a crucial 2-0 victory – their first on the road in four months.
Andre Dozzell and Mark O’Mahony netted the vital strikes to take Pompey into 18th, seven points above the Championship relegation places.
Lang and Shaughnessy injury latest
Mousinho delivered some bittersweet injury news following the triumph at the Kassam Stadium, firstly involving Conor Shaughnessy, who was withdrawn an hour into Tuesday’s win over Cardiff (11 February) at Fratton Park with a hamstring issue, having scored what turned out to be the decisive goal.
The Irishman has endured rotten luck with injuries this season having already missed over five months with two separate calf problems, undoubtedly costing Pompey points this term.
The head coach went on to discuss leading Portsmouth goalscorer Callum Lang, who was substituted on Saturday with an issue which had the entire Pompey following holding their collective breath.
“With Conor we’re looking at about six to eight weeks, unfortunately. It’s a hamstring tear – nothing we can do about that. And it’s a reason why we look to guard against injuries with squad rotation as much as possible,” Mousinho admitted on BBC Radio Solent (15 February).
“I don’t think we’d have made any decision that was different from playing Shaughs [on Tuesday], because he scored the winner, but I look at every single squad up and down the country and there isn’t one that isn’t struggling with injuries at the moment.
“Callum came back from the dressing room and walked across the pitch – he’s not walking freely but in a much better spot than [Shaughnessy] was the other night so we’ll see how it is.”
Portsmouth have no midweek match for three weeks
Crucially for Portsmouth and also for their fellow competitors enjoying the same schedule, is that there are no more midweek matches until the Blues meet Plymouth Argyle on Wednesday 12 March.
Being able to focus on just one game a week for the next three weeks will come as a huge help and hopefully mean the absentees on the sidelines who can return this season will miss fewer matches.
Among these are the likes of Regan Poole and Kusini Yengi, who are now at full fitness and available for Mousinho. O’Mahony also marked his return to action with the goal which sealed the game on Saturday.
Having beaten Oxford, the Blues return to home turf against a QPR side from whom they took their sole other away victory earlier this season on 19 October.
March begins with a trip to relegation battlers Luton Town, before promotion contenders Leeds United visit Fratton Park with a Sunday midday kick-off (9 March).