Ian Darke picks out key Portsmouth players for survival in Championship
Portsmouth have spent the past 10 months since promotion scrambling around for the most value for their money in rebuilding the squad.
The Fratton Park entrance door has been a busy one, with Rich Hughes leading the recruitment charge on players, youthful and experienced, attacking and defensive, and crucially, both successful and so far not as much.
Portsmouth are operating the smallest wage bill in the Championship, which gives the first major idea to an outsider on where they are and who they’re up against financially.
Portsmouth key men identified
While Portsmouth brought in an array of youngsters in the hope they could develop into fine players in time, not many have done so just yet.
Those who were brought in on loan have had to make an instant impact, which the likes of Freddie Potts have succeeded in doing.
Elsewhere, the likes of Abdoulaye Kamara, Harvey Blair and Thomas Waddingham remain starlets for the future.
It has been the experienced players, picked up on free or cheap deals over the past year or two, who have been Pompey’s beneficiaries, and are the reason they are likely to stay up at the first time of asking.
TV commentator and Blues fan Ian Darke, speaking exclusively to Pompey News, has raved over Josh Murphy and Marlon Pack, whose importance he has highlighted.
Darke also gave a mention to top scorer Callum Lang, who hit double figures with some tireless displays before being struck down with injury, as well as Matt Ritchie, who joined Pack as the latest boyhood Blues supporter to come full circle back to Fratton.
“Murphy, Lang and Ritchie – those three have certainly been important along the way if Pompey do survive, and Marlon Pack as well with his leadership,” he explained.
“And it is an ‘if’. Mousinho is right to remind the squad that it’s far from mission accomplished.”
Darke added that while there have been some impressive performers for Mousinho at the massively increased standard this term, the away form remains cause for concern.
“No one appears to have that magic pill to cure the travel sickness; they just seem to find a way to lose away from home.”
Pompey have eight tricky tests standing between them and survival
Portsmouth have eight fixtures remaining in which they must gather at least around 12 points to ensure safety in the Championship, with Mousinho hot on their tails to keep performing.
The key concern has been how quickly other clubs have bridged the gap to the Blues, who, after spending so long before the turn of the year inside the bottom three, have used their home form to elevate themselves away from danger.
| Portsmouth – last four results | Date |
| Preston 2-1 Portsmouth | 15 March |
| Portsmouth 1-2 Plymouth | 12 March |
| Portsmouth 1-0 Leeds | 9 March |
| Luton 1-0 Portsmouth | 1 March |
Having lost their last two, however, their gap to the drop zone has dissolved from 10 points down to just a four-point margin as several of those below them hit form.
Among Pompey’s final eight opponents are Fratton contests against Derby County and Hull City – the latter on a potentially decisive final day for several teams.
The Blues have to simply ensure they are not one.