‘Hayden deserves Portsmouth chance’ after what happened v Preston
Isaac Hayden deserves to start for Portsmouth after sitting out of the defeat against Preston on Saturday.
Pompey fell to a late defeat at Deepdale on 15 March thanks to a strike from Stefan Thordarson with just three minutes remaining.
This subjected John Mousinho and his side to their third defeat in five games and their second since beating Leeds United at Fratton Park.
With that being said, things could have been different if the manager had made an alteration in the heart of midfield to shut out the Lilywhites.
Hayden should have featured over Andre Dozzell v Preston
Hayden came in on loan from Newcastle United during the winter window but has struggled for minutes throughout the season on the south coast.
This saw him sit on the bench for 90 minutes as an unused substitute against Preston while Dozzell was afforded the chance to stay on until very late.
This came despite a generally poor performance where he contributed very little defensively but failed to make up for that with any sort of attacking nous.
| Stat | Andre Dozzell v Preston |
| Accurate crosses | 0 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Tackles won | 0 |
| Duels won | 0 |
| Fouls committed | 3 |
With that being said, it makes it all the more bizarre as to why the midfielder would stay on for as long as he did.
The attacking threat in the Pompey side was coming from the front three that included Josh Murphy, Colby Bishop and Adil Aouchiche which should have been enough.
Behind them, it would have made more sense for Mousinho to utilise the experience and defensive strength of Hayden to help see out a positive result away from home.
Hayden deserves a chance at Portsmouth
A player doesn’t make over 170 appearances across the Premier League and Championship for a side like Newcastle without having quality.
The Jamaica international has lost his touch somewhat in recent years, but the chance to start regularly at Fratton Park could help him do exactly that.
It is unclear as to why his minutes have been limited so much in recent weeks but the chance to feature at Deepdale could have allowed him to prove himself.
Starting or coming on alongside Freddie Potts could have allowed for an ideal midfield pairing after a nothing showing from Dozzell.