Portsmouth coach refutes 'protected' claims over in-form striker as red hot scoring run continues

Portsmouth prospect Tayo Singerr continued to boost his hopes of forcing his way into John Mousinho’s squad by grabbing another goal as Pompey’s Under-18s exited the FA Youth Cup with a third round defeat at Newcastle United.

The 18-year-old striker marked his competitive senior debut by finding the net in a Carabao Cup first round defeat against League One side Reading earlier this season after he replaced Mark Kosznovsky with 20 minutes remaining in the tie. Singerr made the first loan move of his young career just weeks later when he joined Pompey’s non-league neighbours Moneyfields and the youngster has gone on to score 13 goals in 18 appearances as Callum Glen’s side battle for promotion at the top end of the Isthmian League South Central division.

The terms of the loan agreement meant Singerr was permitted to feature for Pompey’s youngsters as they made the long trip to the North East for their first Youth Cup tie of the season - and he found the net midway during the first half as Sam Hudson’s side looked to recover from going two goals down inside the opening seven minutes. Despite his side falling to a 5-2 defeat, Singerr was a lively presence throughout a caused trouble for the Magpies backline with his pace and movement.

The promising frontman will now look to continue impressing on loan in the fourth tier of the non-league game as Moneyfields prepare to face the likes of Littlehampton and Portchester either side of the turn of the year. With his reputation growing with every passing week, Pompey academy coach Hudson has refuted claims Singerr could be protected as he continues his development and praised the impact he made during the Youth Cup defeat against the Magpies.

Smart

Speaking after the defeat, he told The News: “He’s a very smart kid, he’s got a real good head on his shoulders. I don’t think he needs to be protected because he’s a good footballer, he’s a very good finisher and scores a lot of good goals. He is doing really well on loan in a men’s environment. It’s just doing what is right for him and he is a very, very smart boy and he is really great to coach. He’s a lovely kid so he doesn’t really need protecting, we just have to keep putting him into the positions where he can score goals and him putting himself in those positions, which he does anyway. I am pleased for him that he has continued his scoring streak, he helped us get back into the game and I was pleased with him.”

What has John Mousinho said about Portsmouth youngster Tayo Singerr?

Speaking to The News recently, the Pompey boss said: “Tayo’s had a pretty good season and scored a lot of goals, which is the most important thing for a centre-forward. Obviously he has scored for us as well, so that’s where we are, keeping an eye on him. Ultimately, Tayo is a second-year scholar, so we’re going to have to make a decision on him. Nothing soon, but he's made good progress this year.

“He has a bit of everything, he’s not the biggest, but his movement is good and he can hold the ball up well. The biggest thing with Tayo is what we saw in that Reading game, he has a decent-enough eye for goal and will get across his man. That’s ultimately what centre-forwards are paid to do - score goals - and he has done that in abundance this year.

“If we thought Tayo was ready we’d call him up and have him with the first-team, but, at the minute, he’s on a good line of progress. He’s probably not ready (for the first-team) at the moment, if we thought he was then we’d have him back. At the minute, he’s doing well where he is.”

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