‘Portsmouth to finish in Championship top-12’ amid injury update at Fratton Park
John Mousinho will be confident that his Portsmouth side can finish the Championship season strongly as he welcomes players back from injury.
Mousinho has been forced to dig deep throughout Portsmouth’s first campaign back in the second tier, with a high number of first-team players on the sidelines throughout the season in several key positions.
Portsmouth have been forced to play the likes of Marlon Pack as a makeshift centre-back in their battle against relegation back to League One, but with 10 games remaining, they look set to win that fight.
Pompey sit 17th and 10 points clear of the bottom three after their 1-0 win over Leeds United at a packed Fratton Park on Sunday, and four victories from five make them one of the Championship’s form teams.
Portsmouth set for triple injury boost before the end of March
Although Mousinho has been forced to field several thrown-together defensive lines just to get by this season, Portsmouth could be set to welcome back three key centre-backs for the end of the campaign.
Jordan Williams, Conor Shaughnessy and Rob Atkinson are set to return by Pompey’s home clash with Blackburn Rovers after the international break on 29 March, providing Mousinho with welcome options.
| Player | Injury | Possible return date |
| Conor Shaughnessy | Hamstring | 29 March (v Blackburn) |
| Jordan Williams | Muscle injury | 29 March |
| Rob Atkinson | Calf | 29 March |
| Paddy Lane | Knee | End of season |
| Hayden Matthews | Ankle | End of season |
| Jacob Farrell | Muscle injury | End of season |
| Ibane Bowat | Tendon injury | Summer 2025 |
| Callum Lang | Hamstring | Summer 2025 |
Speaking to Portsmouth.co.uk (11 March), Mousinho said: “Jordan Williams is one of the short-term ones, we should have him back for Blackburn.
“Hopefully what we are looking at is all of a sudden – at the back-end of the international break – Shocks (Conor Shaughnessy) will be six weeks into his recovery for a six-to-eight week injury.
‘Rob Atkinson will all of a sudden be four weeks into his recovery – at the time with the likes of Shocks and Rob, when you say 6-8 weeks at that point, you feel they are really long-term blows.
“One of the pleasing things is the squad at the moment has managed to step in and step up – and we’ve managed to cope with that.”
Portsmouth to eye Championship top-half as defenders return
As well as sealing the signing of Swedish defender Alexander Milosevic on a free transfer, Mousinho could soon have an embarrassment of riches to pick from at the back for the Championship run-in.
Milosevic joining a fit-again Williams, Shaughnessy and Atkinson in the side will not only allow Mousinho to finally select his first-choice defence, but also give some of his more battle-hardened players a rest.
Pack and Ryley Towler immediately spring to mind when considering the players who have filled in and impressed in defence for Pompey this term, deputising for so long given the sheer number of injuries.
With only six points between Portsmouth and twelfth-placed Millwall as the Championship season enters its final 10 matchweeks, Mousinho will be looking to maintain his side’s strong form and provide one of the shocks of the enture campaign by climbing even further up the table.