Autumn/Winter PFC News

20 year old midfielder Adam May has signed for National League side Aldershot on loan, until 5th December.

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On loan Aston Villa winger 20 year old Andre Green has undergone a minor operation to remove a cyst from his right knee, and could be missing until late October.

Green only arrived at Pompey at the end of August, signing on loan for the remainder of the season, following five Championship appearances for the Villians this term. The player underwent a medical as part of the transfer formalities and went on to make his Blues debut in the Checkatrade Trophy win against Gillingham. However, according to Jackett, the cyst didn’t show up during the ‘extensive medical’. And that caught the Pompey boss cold when informed Green required an operation.

‘Nothing showed in a very extensive medical for us, so we were surprised when he came in and wanted the cyst removed because neither the player or Aston Villa saw it as a problem going forward or flagged it up. ‘But it has obviously flared and put him in a position where he felt it was best where he had it removed. ‘In those circumstances, and although I was genuinely surprised by his request, people don’t have operations or have operations lightly, so we accepted his decision and what we have to do now is back him and look forward to welcoming him back into the group when he is fit.’ Using his Twitter account, Green admitted the cyst had caused pain for the ‘last year’, prompting him to seek medical assistance.

 

Pompey have been handed a double injury boost ahead of Wycombe Wanderers’ trip to Fratton Park on Saturday.

Jack Whatmough and Anton Walkes are both available for the League One clash against the Chairboys.

The pair had been absent after picking up setbacks in the 3-0 victory over Plymouth earlier this month. Whatmough (hamstring) and Walkes (groin) were both withdrawn at half-time against Derek Adams’ side, replaced by Christian Burgess and Nathan Thompson respectively. After missing the Blues’ past three matches, the duo have returned to full fitness and are vying for a spot in Kenny Jackett’s squad to face Wycombe.

Ronan Curtis also trained after limping off against Peterborough last week.

Currently unavailable still are Dion Donohue (hamstring) and young centre half Matt Casey who has broken his collarbone whilst playing on loan to Gosport Borough.

 

Academy Sign Winger

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Pompey have signed winger Eoin Teggart on a two Year scholarship.

The 16-year-old – who is a Northern Ireland youth international – has arrived from Cliftonville for an undisclosed fee.

Academy manager Mark Kelly said: “Eoin’s a player with a lot of pace and trickery, and can send in a good delivery.

“We’re very excited to get him to Pompey and everyone in the academy is looking forward to working with him.

“This is another example of the vision of our owners and how they’re looking to really back the youth team.”

Teggart becomes the second academy player that Pompey have paid a fee for this season, following the capture of Croatian goalkeeper Petar Durin in July.

 

Adam May scored twice today and hit the woodwork, on his Aldershot debut in a 2-0 win against Dover.

 

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Pompey are still waiting on international clearance for academy keeper Petar Durin. The Croatian moved to Fratton Park from Italian outfit Atalanta for an undisclosed fee in July.

However, Durin has yet to feature for the young Blues this campaign. Instead, he’s been forced to watch their matches from the sidelines. That’s because the 16 year old hasn’t received the green light from FIFA to play following his arrival.

Mark Kelly knows the youngster is desperate to make his debut but has told Durin to remain patient. Pompey’s youth chief said: ‘We’re still waiting on international clearance. ‘Sometimes that takes a little while to come through and he just has to be patient.

‘He’s dying to play, but we’ve just got to wait this one out. ‘You can’t rush FIFA and it’s just one of those things. ‘He’s a good kid and is very good technically.’ Leon Pitman has been in goal for Pompey Academy this campaign.

 

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Brett Pitman's 29 goals in opening 50 matches puts him third on Pompey's post-war list.

Just two goalscorers in post-war history have bettered Brett Pitman’s Pompey career start. The striker celebrated his 50th appearance by netting in Saturday’s 3-1 triumph at Rochdale.

In the process, the former Bournemouth man registered his 29th goal since arriving from Ipswich in July 2017. It’s a prolific return over an opening half-century of outings which establishes Pitman alongside many Blues greats. In fact, only Mick Quinn and Duggie Reid surpass the Pompey skipper’s haul. Quinn arrived at Fratton Park from Oldham in March 1986 and went on to net 32 times in his opening 50 appearances.

Pompey goals after 50 appearances: Mick Quinn – 32; Duggie Reid – 31; Brett Pitman – 29; Ron Saunders – 28; Dave Kemp – 27; Alan Biley and Guy Whittingham – 26; Gerry Creaney – 25; Svetoslav Todorov and Ike Clarke – 24; Johnny Gordon and Peter Crouch – 23; John Aloisi – 22

 

Pompey duo Kenny Jackett and Jamal Lowe have been nominated for September's Sky Bet League One Manager and Player of the Month awards.

Kenny Jackett has been nominated for the Sky Bet League One Manager of the Month award for the second month running.

It comes after he guided the Blues to victories over Plymouth, Peterborough and Rochdale in September, as well as draws with Shrewsbury and Wycombe.

Jamal Lowe has also been shortlisted for the Player of the Month prize, having netted three goals to help Pompey climb to the top of the table.

Jackett is up against Charlton’s Lee Bowyer, Accrington’s John Coleman and Doncaster’s Grant McCann for the managerial honour.

Meanwhile, Lowe’s fellow nominees are Doncaster striker John Marquis, Barnsley forward Kieffer Moore and Blackpool midfielder Jay Spearing.

The winner of both awards will be decided by an expert judging panel and announced on Friday morning.

 

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Joe Dandy has completed a loan switch to Bognor. The Pompey Academy defender has moved to Nyewood Lane to help ease their injury problems

Dandy, 17, signed a two-year scholarship at the Blues in June 2017. The Ascot-born talent is the current skipper of Mark Kelly’s side and can play at either right-back or centre-half. He joined Kenny Jackett’s first team on their pre-season training camp in Cork in the summer, featuring as a second-half substitute in the 4-1 victory over the Rebel Army.

Dandy has also made several appearances for the reserves this campaign. But he’ll now be given a taste of regular first-team action at the Rocks. He’s expected to go straight into Jack Pearce’s squad for their Bostik League premier trip to leaders Tonbridge on Saturday.

Dandy is the third Pompey player to join Bognor on loan this season. First-year professional Dan Smith and second-year scholar Bradley Lethbridge are both currently at Nyewood Lane.

 

Brighton set to steal key Portsmouth figure

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Dave Wright is set to be poached by Brighton. Pompey’s head of academy performance and recruitment is being headhunted by the Premier League outfit to oversee their youth recruitment.

FA technical director, Dan Ashworth, wants to take Wright to the Amex Stadium following his link-up with the Seagulls, after five years at the head of the national game. It’s a blow for the Blues after Wright joined in February as part of their own academy overhaul. Chief executive Mark Catlin stated the 38-year-old continues work for Pompey at present.

He said: ‘David is currently employed by the football club and if that situation was to change the club would then comment on it.’ Wright’s arrival was heralded as a coup when he returned to the club he came through the ranks with as a midfielder. The former City Boys student was given the remit of overseeing changes in tandem with academy manager Mark Kelly.

Wright has set about that job working with the club’s owners, who’ve pinpointed youth development as a key area of focus. The path forward on that front has still to become clear, although there has been a couple of promising young players signed from overseas in Irish winger Eoin Teggart and
Croatia keeper Petar Durin. Now Wright looks certain to follow popular academy coach, Mikey Harris, who agreed a move to Brighton to work with the club’s under-18 team last November. It looks a move Pompey will find hard to resist, with the Seagulls looking to invest heavily in their academy.

That privately is accepted by the Blues, given the attractiveness of the position with a progressive top-flight outfit.

Wright will be expected to work out a three-month notice period, however, before he leaves his hometown club to take on the role. The former senior pro was born and raised in the city and captained the youth team, before moving on to Crystal Palace and eventually seeing his career cut short by injury. After working at Pompey for seven years as an academy coach, Wright went on to head up Premier League Stoke’s academy for six-and-a-half years - establishing the Potters as a Category One academy. The former Solent United and Widbrook United junior then took on a position with academy auditors Double Pass before his arrival at Fratton Park.

Now it appears certain Wright will be moving on, leaving a sizeable void in Pompey's youth set-up.

 

Transfer gossip: Leeds, Leicester and Sheffield United among 30 clubs keen on Portsmouth ace.

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Pompey winger Ronan Curtis

Teamtalk's ‘exclusive’ says that scouts from around England have been dispatched to keep a close eye on the former Derry City winger, who only signed for the Blues in the summer.

Curtis, who has twice called up to the Republic of Ireland’s senior squad, has already established himself as a firm favourite among the Fratton faithful, scoring six goals and creating five in his 21 appearances to date for the League One leaders.

He arrived at Fratton Park for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year deal.

Yet, according to Teamtalk, his stay could be cut short in January, with a number of club’s preparing to swoop.

Whether or not manager Kenny Jackett would be prepared to let his joint-top scorer go in the middle of a title chase is another matter!

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Surely Kenny and our owners wouldn't want to sell him, unless we were offered say £25 million for him + a player in part exchange!!

 

There you are Ides, I've edited my previous post

 

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Cork City’s star midfielder 24 year old Kieran Sadlier is being monitored by League One leaders Portsmouth, according to the Portsmouth News.

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Rumoured Pompey target Kieran Sadlier (right)

The News’ Lewis Mason caught up with the Evening Echo’s Cork City reporter, Denis Hurley, to get the lowdown on Kieran Sadlier. Here’s what he had to say about the Pompey transfer target...

Tricky 6' winger Kieran Sadlier is a talent you'd put at the same level, if not slightly ahead, as Ronan Curtis. He is a left-winger who scored 26 goals in all competitions this season and was top-scorer for Cork. Those statistics made him the second highest-scorer in the League of Ireland this term, overall getting 15 goals in the league.

Sadlier likes his step overs and to take on full-backs, but he is not as comfortable with the physical stuff. The ex-Ireland under-21 international joined Cork midway through last season, before that he was with Sligo Rovers. The Turner’s Cross side sold Sean Maguire to Preston North End in the summer of 2017 and they brought in Sadlier, not as a direct replacement, but someone to bump up the squad.

The Sussex-born midfielder didn't really start much that year, but he started most of 2018. There were a few games where he was out of the team having lost form, but there were calls for him to be considered for the senior Ireland squad. Sadlier would be regarded as one of the most talented players in the league but his consistency needs to improve if he is to go to a higher level. The talent is there and I think the right manager would get that out of him.

Versatile Sadlier can play anywhere across the front line. There are a lot of people at Cork who feel he is best playing as a number 10 but he hasn't really played there. There is definitely some smoke there (a potential move to Pompey). Whether that is agent talk or what, I’m not sure, but it seems to be the word around here. I don't think he will be staying in Ireland. He will learn more in England and see if he can play a bit. Sadlier will be a very big loss to Cork. He will take a lot of replacing.

The SSE Airtricity League Premier Division has now finished, and Sadlier is out of contract and is set to become a free agent, meaning he will available on a free transfer.

 

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Michael Ihiekwe tackling Brett Pitman.

Rotherham United defender 25 year old Michael Ihiekwe could be on his way out of the New York Stadium permanently, as apparently Pompey wish to sign him in January. He is currently on loan until January to Accrington Stanley, for whom he scored against Pompey in the recent league match.
He is out of contract with Rotherham at the end of this season.

The 6'1" defender mainly plays at centre half, but can play at full back. Formerly an academy player with both Liverpool and Wolves.

 

Portsmouth have continued their good relationship with non-league outfit Bognor Regis Town by sending two further young players to Nyewood Lane on loan.

The Portsmouth News have reported that Pompey have sent young midfield duo Leon Maloney and Freddie Read to the Bostik League Premier Division club to gain some first team playing experience as the players look to make the jump from academy to senior football. They join Joe Dandy, Dan Smith and Brad Lethbridge in moving to the non-league side from Portsmouth this season.

Both midfielders have featured for Pompey at Under-18 level on a regular basis this season. A Read free-kick set up teammate Harvey Rew to score Portsmouth’s first goal in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with AFC Bournemouth Under-18s at Copnor Road in the Youth Alliance League. Fellow midfielder Maloney was also in the thick of the action as he played in Alfie Stanley to bag Pompey’s second goal.

Read and Maloney are expected to be in the Bognor Regis Town matchday squad for this evening’s league match against Corinthian Casuals at ‘The Nye Camp’.

The Rocks currently find themselves in seventh position in the Bostik League Premier Division table, although it should be noted that the West Sussex outfit boast at least one game in hand over five out of the six clubs who sit above them.


The length of the loan deals for the two players has not been disclosed by either club.