John Mousinho handed double injury boost ahead of Portsmouth’s final game
John Mousinho will look to guide Portsmouth to a winning end of the season on Saturday.
Pompey will play the final game of the campaign in front of their own fans at Fratton Park, who have been praised recently for being louder than Arsenal’s home crowd against PSG.
The Blues face Hull City on Saturday (3 May) in a game that effectively means very little in the grand scheme of things for Portsmouth.
Mousinho has already guided them to safety after an impressive run of form in the final few games, which is why they head into this fixture off the back of a four-match unbeaten run.
That is something Portsmouth will aim to continue on Saturday to wrap up the campaign in style, potentially being able to progress up the table at the same time.
Portsmouth will welcome back two injured stars
Portsmouth welcomed two injured stars back to training on Wednesday as they aim to be back to full fitness.
Paddy Lane and Ibane Bowat have both been back on the grass after lengthy periods on the sidelines this season.
Mousinho confirmed that neither man will be fit enough to feature at the weekend, which is unfortunate news for how they’d like to end the season.
“We trained with a lot of players today, so we trained with about 26 players today because Ibane and Paddy trained, so that was really good news from our point of view,” said Mousinho, as quoted by The News.
‘We’ve managed to get them back out on the grass, a slightly modified session but really positive for the pair of them and we’re looking to have them back pre-season now”
| League Table | Games Played | Won | Lost | Points |
| 16 Portsmouth | 45 | 14 | 20 | 53 |
However, the fact that they’re already back training means that they will be totally up to scratch by the time pre-season starts.
That will allow Lane and Bowat to hit the ground running in the summer to ensure they can give full accounts of themselves when the new season starts.
That’s going to be particularly important for Bowat, who hasn’t actually kicked a ball since he joined the Blues last summer due to rupturing a tendon in his knee after joining from Fulham.
John Mousinho might not be part of pre-season
While both of those players will be available for pre-season, there are still doubts over whether Mousinho will be the one to guide them.
Mousinho is reportedly a target for West Brom due to his impressive work at Fratton Park, which has gained him plenty of admirers.
There are worries that he could be tempted away from the south coast club if a team higher up the table comes looking for him, although he has been confirmed for an upcoming charity match for the Blues.