Exclusive:Charlton 0 Portsmouth 0: Neil Allen's verdict - Lessons learned as Blues icon delivers brilliant reminder
The Blues are 18th in the Championship following Saturday’s goalless draw at The Valley
While Conor Shaughnessy was winning League One titles, Pompey’s newest signing was starring for Solihull Moors.
Certainly Tyrese Shade can be excused for any unfamiliarity with the accomplishments of an Irish team-mate who has been inducted into Fratton folklore.
Likewise, the attacker may not have appreciated the danger the experienced centre-half poses in an opposition penalty area until converting that first-half long throw against Cardiff.
Admittedly, speaking after the game, Shade was well-acquainted with Shaughnessy’s Burton Albion background, thereby representing common ground between the pair who both ditched Staffordshire for the south coast in the interests of career progression.
Indeed, it’s a highly unusual pathway to Fratton Park, with Adam McGurk the only other which immediately leaps to mind. You can be forgiven for having forgotten his legacy.
Yet the footballing education was complete at The Valley, when the newly-signed Shade discovered the true calibre of the centre-half he has shared a dressing room with over the past fortnight.
No team deserved victory
Alongside Benjy Arthur, he was a towering presence at the back, dominant aerially, excellent on the ground and supremely confident on the ball as he reminded us yet again why, despite his injury faults, he is an automatic Championship selection.
When addressing the media following the goalless draw, Shade referred to the Irishman’s performance as ‘amazing’, his eyes finally having been opened to the capabilities of a player he admits he knew little about before his deadline-day Fratton Park arrival.
In fairness, it’s unlikely their paths should have crossed previously, such has been the different career trajectories. After all, Shade was with Eastleigh 16 months ago and had previously never featured in the Championship.
Yet he now knows all about a new team-mate who was head and shoulders Pompey’s best performer at The Valley, albeit in a poor game significantly lacking in quality.
Like many of his fellow defenders, Shaughnessy endured a shaky start to the season. It even cost Regan Poole his first-team starting spot, albeit there was a late Charlton cameo accompanied by customary last-ditch blocks.
Having conceded 11 goals in their opening five games, that’s now two clean sheets in successive matches, with the centre-half pairing of Shaughnessy and Arthur pivotal to it.
Only 84 appearances over three years
Of course, there is always that injury caveat when assessing the former Leeds man’s talents. Staggeringly, after more than three years with the Blues, he has only 84 appearances to his name.
By this stage of the 2024-25 season, he was already sidelined by an issue with his right calf which he felt in training. He would total nine matches in Pompey’s first campaign back in the Championship.
At this point last term, Shaughnessy was featuring in all six of the opening league fixtures, only to spectacularly tear his hamstring while pursuing a Sheffield Wednesday player. He finished with 20 appearances.
Shaughnessy has again had six outings to date in the current season, while was rested in defeat against Derby. With no apparent sign of any injury set-back after Saturday, it’s so far, so good.
Naturally there is a necessity to manage the 30-year-old’s match-day workload, particularly when challenged with a second game in a week, hence making way for Madiodio Dia’s one-off start in that Tuesday night clash with the Rams.
At present, though, with the schedule having Saturday to Saturday fixtures, plus a forthcoming international break, Mousinho can play his best centre-half without fear of potential injury ramifications.
Huge Marko Milovanovic blow
It’s just a shame that, at the other end of the pitch, the Blues were instead without Marko Milovanovic at Charlton through injury.
It turns out that Mousinho knew what he was talking about when he consistently reasoned why the Serbian striker needed to be eased into match action having largely missed pre-season. Albeit many had disagreed.
Milovanovic collected a minor calf injury against Cardiff and is now also expected to be absent from next weekend’s visit of Blackburn, which is shaping up to be a key match in the Blues’ early season.
That signalled Colby Bishop’s return to the starting XI after two games on the bench. By the end of the Charlton stalemate, he had scored four goals in his last 52 appearances in all competitions.
Not that any attacker was winning Saturday’s game. Abu Kamara drew an excellent sprawling stop from keeper Arthur Okonkwo, while Adrian Segecic should have done better with a left-footed shot from inside the box. And that was it.
It was a day when Pompey’s star performers were in defence - and Shade is quickly learning all about Conor Shaughnessy.