Former club offer ex-Portsmouth title-winner a precious career lifeline
The central defender made 16 appearances for the Blues after arriving in January 2024
An ex-Pompey player has been offered a lifeline by a former club as he bids to kickstart his career.
Tom McIntyre has been without a team since a short-term deal at Aberdeen expired at the end of last season.
He subsequently had unsuccessful trials at Wigan and Blackpool over the summer, while attended the PFA’s pre-season training camp to maintain his fitness.
Now the 27-year-old’s home-town club Reading are allowing him to train with them, having left the Madejski Stadium in January 2024 in a £50,000 move to Pompey.
McIntyre, who previously made 117 appearances for the Royals after coming through their Academy, is presently training with their under-21s, having been given the green light by Leam Richardson.
And Reading’s boss admits he is only too happy to allow the defender to use the club’s facilities while searching for his next playing opportunity.
‘If we can help at any time’
‘Obviously, Tom was here before my time, but I understand he obviously is very well liked. He was very good for the club, did excellent for the club, got really good relationships.
‘If we can help at any time or anything that people have done really well for us, I think we should always have the facility and make sure we try and look after them.
‘So, yes, he's keeping fit, working and training with the Under-21s to hopefully then get a job and move on to another club.’
Joined Portsmouth promotion push in January 2024
Pompey secured a cut-price deal for troubled McIntyre in the January 2024 transfer window, having identified him to bolster their League One promotion push.
However, having replaced Sean Raggett as Conor Shaughnessy’s centre-half partner against Northampton, he sustained a broken left ankle and red card on his debut, putting him out for the season.
Although that dismissal was later rescinded upon appeal, his Pompey career never truly recovered, while his involvement in that glorious campaign would total 54 minutes.
Upon returning to action in a 3-0 defeat to West Brom in September 2024, he was handed 10 successive Championship starts in the centre of the Blues’ injury-hit defence.
Yet following the disastrous 4-0 defeat at Derby in December 2024, he never featured in Pompey league action again. The next month, an embarrassing FA Cup elimination at League One Wycombe would signal his final appearance.
He was subsequently loaned out to Charlton and Bradford, both in League One, yet struggled for first-team action, despite being fit.
After Bradford cancelled a scheduled season-long loan at the halfway point in January 2026, McIntyre brokered a mutually-agreed departure from Fratton Park, with six months still remaining on his contract.
He then joined Aberdeen on a short-term arrangement, although that spell was restricted to five appearances before sustaining an injury which ended his season - and time with the Scottish Premiership club.
Now he’s hoping that returning to former club Reading can maintain his fitness and offer the platform for a move elsewhere.
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