The former Lincoln and Huddersfield boss was the man chosen to succeed Kenny Jackett at Fratton Park, after being sacked following defeat to Salford in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley.
After being appointed on a deal until the end of the campaign on March 19, the Blues head coach went straight to work as Pompey welcomed Paul Cook’s Ipswich a day later.
His new side were on a disappointing run of form, having won one of their previous eight league games and crucially sliding away from the automatic promotion picture.
But a surprise 2-1 win over the Tractor Boys set a positive tone to Cowley’s era on the south coast, with Tom Naylor and Marcus Harness doing the damage.
Four years later, a lot has changed at Fratton Park with the Blues operating in the Championship under John Mousinho and a completely new squad compared to that seen in the 46-year-old’s first game in charge.
But who featured on March 20 against Ipswich and where are they now? Find out below to see who started in the 46-year-old’s maiden fixture in the hot seat.

13. Striker: Jordy Hiwula
The striker’s start against Ipswich represented just one of his two appearances for the Blues under Cowley that season. After struggling for goals in his only campaign at Fratton Park, Hiwula was released - having failed to impress the head coach to earn fresh terms. Spells at Doncaster, Ross County and Morecambe were to follow but the 30-year-old is now without a club having been released by the Shrimps in 2024. | National World

14. Danny and Nicky Cowley
The brothers were appointed at Fratton Park just a day prior to Pompey's 2-1 win against Ipswich. They were also assisted by Joe Gallen. Photo: Joe Pepler
