'I explained that to him' - Portsmouth boss on why 'unlucky' former Stoke and Hibs keeper finds himself playing back-up again
It looks like Pompey keeper Josef Bursik will have to bide his time now for his next Pompey opportunity.
John Mousinho has sympathy for Josef Bursik.
The Pompey keeper was benched for Saturday’s win against Millwall as he made way for the returning Nicolas Schmid.
A run of nine consecutive starts for the 25-year-old came to an abrupt end to allow the Blues’ Austrian stopper to resume goalkeeping duties following a broken hand injury suffered in September’s south-coast derby draw at St Mary’s.
At the time, Schmid’s projected 6-8 week period on the sidelines was considered a huge blow for the Fratton Park outfit. But his absence wasn’t as significant as many anticipated as summer signing Bursik proved to be a high-calibre back-up.
Despite conceding 16 goals in his nine appearances and being on the losing side five times, the former Club Brugge, Stoke and Hibs stopper’s ability had been noted by the Fratton faithful - so much so that many believed an instant recall for Schmid wasn’t a forgone conclusion.
Mousinho and his coaching staff clearly thought differently, though, as Bursik found himself back among the substitutes for Millwall’s visit to Fratton Park.
It’s a stand-by role he’ll most likely take up again tonight when the Blues travel to Sheffield United for their latest Championship outing.
And while he’ll feel unlucky to be in that position, it’s a sentiment shared by his boss - despite his cut and thrust decision to welcome Schmid straight back into the first-team picture.
John Mousinho explains decision to recall Nicolas Schmid
When asked if Bursik was unfortunate to be overlooked for the Millwall game, Mousinho said: ‘Yeah, it’s extremely unlucky for Joe, I think, off the back of some really positive performances.
‘He kept us in a couple of games and I explained that to him as well.
‘It wasn't a decision based off the form that he was in and what he'd done in terms of contributing to us since he'd come into the side
‘And Ben (Killip) was a little bit unfortunate as well when he lost his place in the side. But, ultimately, we made the decision to go with Nico based off what we'd seen last year and this year.
‘We rate Nico extremely highly, we rate the whole goalkeeping department extremely highly, but we wanted to bring Nico back in.
‘We thought that he had enough sharpness, had the match sharpness and felt fit enough to go and do a job. ‘
Schmid conceded one goal on his Pompey return as the Blues’ weakness from corners was once again exposed by the Lions.
He’s now made 42 apperances for the club following his move from BW Linz in the summer of 2024. In that time he’s kept 10 clean sheets and has a save percentage of 71.5.
In his nine appearances for Pompey, Bursik recorded two clean sheets and had a save percentage rate of 62.5.