'More to come' - Blackburn Rovers man sends early warning to Portsmouth ahead of Ewood Park trip
Pompey return to action with a trip to Ewood Park this weekend.
Blackburn Rovers playmaker Todd Cantwell insists he has plenty more to show in a blue and white shirt as he prepares to face Portsmouth this weekend.
Pompey gained ground on their relegation rivals after beating Preston North End before the November international break, with Saturday’s trip to Ewood Park offering the chance to record consecutive wins for the first time this season. But John Mousinho’s side know the task at hand is a tough one against a Rovers outfit making an early push for the play-offs.
They also won 3-1 before the break at Cardiff City, with Cantwell continuing a run in the starting line-up as he looks to find form. And the two-week break looks to have come at a good time for the former Rangers man, who is raring to go come the visit of Pompey this weekend.
“I’m up to speed now with my fitness, definitely, although I’d been struggling with a bit of illness for the last couple of weeks, so I’d not been 100 percent,” Cantwell told Blackburn’s website. “It’s really important now to kick on and show people the fully fit Todd. You can’t really be judged on your output until you’ve had five or six starts.
“Ask most professionals and they’ll probably say that coming off the bench is very different to starting a game. I’ve got those starts under my belt now and I’m really looking forward to football coming back. I think I’ve been solid, trustworthy and have brought a technical aspect to games, but there’s a lot more to come from me and I’m really looking forward to the games we have coming up.”
Cantwell has been unable to replicate his best form at Ewood Park, where he moved as a free agent over the summer, registering just two assists in his 11 league games. The 26-year-old has struggled with fitness issues and is also playing for a Blackburn outfit who have not exactly been free-scoring.
Pompey haven’t been firing in front of goal either recently but their three-goal return against Preston coincided with the return to fitness of some key players including Paddy Lane and the scorer of the final goal, Colby Bishop. Both are expected to have a more significant role during Saturday’s trip to Lancashire.
Mousinho still has a lengthy injury list to contend with for the trip, with up to five players unavailable, although the likes of Connor Shaughnessy and Jordan Williams will have benefitted from the two-week international break. Victory at Ewood Park could see Pompey pull out of the relegation zone on goal difference, if results elsewhere also go their way.