Brandon Haunstrup: I loved being a left-footed right-back for Portsmouth
It was the team selection which baffled many of the Fratton faithful.
But Brandon Haunstrup loved his Pompey stint as a left-footed right-back.
Following an eye-catching entrance into the role from the bench to replace the injured Ross McCrorie against Southend in November, the 23-year-old was handed a regular run.
Preferred to natural right-back James Bolton, Haunstrup even weighed in with a maiden Blues goal in the FA Cup win at Harrogate Town.
His seven-game stint was brought to a premature end after collecting a knee injury in the final minute of December’s 2-2 draw against Peterborough.
Despite never featuring in the position for Pompey again, it was a challenge he revelled in.
Haunstrup told The News: ‘I genuinely enjoyed it at right-back.
‘As a first-year scholar, I had played there for a whole season in the youth team and did pretty well.
‘I got used to it in that sense. Obviously playing in a youth-team environment is completely different, but I thought I flourished in the role back then.
‘When I came on against Southend and was asked to play there, I got two assists. The gaffer pulled me after the game and said “Look, I’ve been thinking about putting you there for a while. I know you can do it”. It gave me a confidence boost at the time.
‘There’s actually not too much difference between playing left-back and right-back. I’m also comfortable on my right foot.
‘As a right-back, it’s easier to cut inside to see the bigger picture. I like getting forward and it’s easier to come inside.
‘It’s something different for other teams to cope with, you definitely don’t see many inverted full-backs.
‘Most of the time I played with Ryan Williams in front of me. He’s always good when going on the outside, but also likes to cut inside.
‘I’d tell him that if he was going inside, then get the ball back to me and I could cross it with my left foot.’
Although his versatility across the back line has already been explored by the Scottish Premiership club.
He added: ‘I played against Oxford at centre-back in the Leasing.com Trophy last season and really enjoyed that as well
‘I especially like it in a 3-5-2 because, if I am on that left side, I can get out and get forward.
‘I played in a friendly against Motherwell the other day and got an assist in a 3-4-3 system, which Sheffield United have been known to use.
‘The two outside centre-backs always push forward on the overlap and that’s what we were playing like at Kilmarnock. I got an assist from there.’
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