Portsmouth urged to recall Toby Steward after what he’s done at St Johnstone
Portsmouth have enjoyed a bright start to the season, offering some performances that are allowing fans to become more ambitious about their expectations for the team.
Pompey have eight points from their opening five games and are on the cusp of the playoff places.
It’s a long way to go yet, but John Mousinho has recruited well and fans are looking up the table rather than down.
The future of the club also looks in safe hands when you consider how one young star is performing after being sent out on loan for the season.
Portsmouth fans marvel over Toby Steward performance at St Johnstone
Young goalkeeper Toby Steward was loaned to St Johnstone to get some more first-team experience this season.
Steward made his EFL debut during a loan spell at Crawley last season and performed really well there.
Now he’s already making a name for himself in Scotland.
Steward has started every league game for St Johnstone this season, conceding just three goals in six games as his side top the Scottish Championship with an unbeaten record.
In their 2-1 victory against Dunfermline on Friday, he made three remarkable saves within seconds of each other deep into stoppage time.
The St Johnstone players all ran to embrace Steward at the final whistle, and rightly so. He preserved what could turn out to be a crucial victory.
Footage of these saves soon did the rounds on social media, with many Portsmouth fans keen to praise the young keeper and several suggesting that the club should recall him.
Read more: Portsmouth suffered ‘major blow’ in Southampton clash as new problem emerges
Who will deputise while Portsmouth goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid is injured?
Pompey’s number one Nicolas Schmid will be missing from action for several weeks after fracturing his hand against Southampton.
This has led to fans questioning who will replace him as first-choice goalkeeper during his recovery.
Ben Killip replaced Schmid at St Mary’s but there are question marks over his distribution. Josef Bursik was signed on deadline day and may be preferred. Mousinho has also been tipped to dip into the free transfer market to sign a new goalkeeper.
If Steward could be recalled from his loan, he may have been an option. For now, he can focus on continuing to improve his game in the Scottish Championship. Mousinho and his scouting team will surely be keeping an eye on him.
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