'It hasn't quite happened': Portsmouth boss' frustration over promising winger's game shortage
The teenager has totalled just 12 appearances during three loan spells this season
John Mousinho has admitted Pompey’s frustration over promising winger Harry Clout’s loan set-backs.
The youngster, who signed his first professional deal in July, linked up with the Hawks shortly before Christmas, representing his third spell away from Fratton Park this season.
With the Blues eager for first-team football this term to aid the ex-Palace attacker’s development, he has also seen service with Farnborough and Welling in 2025-26 - yet totalled just 12 appearances.
Certainly Mousinho is hopeful Clout will finally get the match minutes he needs at Westleigh Park, having joined the Southern League Southern Central club on an initial 28-day loan.
‘So far it hasn’t quite happened’
The Blues head coach told The News: ‘We want Harry to play, we want Harry to play as many games as possible, it was part of the plan when we signed him on the pro contract.
‘We’ve always kept an open mind. We didn’t think he would impact us at first-team level this season, so we wanted to get him some games and we wanted to get him flowing. So far, it hasn’t quite happened.
‘He didn’t play a huge amount at Welling, bits and pieces, but they had a change of manager, which obviously didn’t help. When that happens, particularly with young loan players, it’s a difficult situation - and Welling decided to go in that direction.
‘So because we had the loan ready at Havant, we decided to end it (at Welling). It will just be good for Harry to get games, he needs to get games.
‘It’s not going to be career-defining, but the quicker we can get him playing, the better.’
Reuben Swann handed Hawks games
Clout has yet to be included in a Hawks squad, yet his Pompey team-mate Reuben Swann has featured three times since rejoining on the same day.
There was subsequently an injury scare when he was forced off the 40th minute of his third Westleigh Park debut in a clash with Wimborne Town last month, yet he recovered swiftly.
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Since then the midfielder has come off the bench in the 4-0 Boxing Day success at Gosport and then their most recent match, a 4-3 win over Sholing.
The Hawks entertain Farnham Town tonight (7.45pm), seeking to build on five successive victories to maintain their climb up the table away from relegation trouble.
‘It’s a good pathway’
Mousinho added: ‘You need to get that experience of playing first-team football, it’s the way I did it. It doesn’t mean it’s the only right thing to do, but I certainly think that, if you’re ready to go and play first-team games, then it’s the next level.
‘If you look at all the under-21s programmes up and down the country with the Premier League boys, barring the lads that are good enough to go into the first-team, the big push is for the lads that have done their time in under-21s to go out and get first-team experience.
‘It’s a good pathway, but, ultimately, first-team experience is the one that gets them to where they want to be.’
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