‘A moment I’ve been waiting for’: Emotional Portsmouth defender's delight after overcoming 10-month injury nightmare
Ibane Bowat failed to register an appearance for Pompey during his maiden campaign at Fratton Park.
An emotional Ibane Bowat has expressed his delight after overcoming his 10-month injury nightmare.
And the centre-back has delivered a positive update over his knee having completed his first Pompey run-out.
The defender, who arrived from Fulham in September 2024, spent last term on the sidelines having sustained a season-ending knee injury just days into his Fratton Park career.
After returning to training earlier in the summer, the 22-year-old registered his first outing in a Pompey shirt, coming on in the final 30 minutes of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Reading.
And after 10 months out through injury, the Craven Cottage youth product was over the moon to complete his long-awaited return.
Ibane Bowat’s Pompey delight after overcoming injury nightmare
He said: It’s been a long-time coming but it felt great. It’s good to be back on the pitch and start on a good note, playing in front of the fans.
‘I want to thank the staff at Pompey, my team-mates, and my family for supporting me during this long journey but it’s a great feeling. It’s been a moment I’ve been waiting for for a while.
‘I’ve been working towards it and it’s not been an easy recovery, there’s been a few ups and downs but I’ve worked hard and it's a proud moment for me and hopefully I can build on this performance today and hopefully be ready when the season starts.
‘It (the leg) feels good. It feels much better and the physios have been really behind me and supporting me. I think we’re in a good place with it and it’s now just a case of getting more minutes under the legs and getting ready for the first day of the season.
‘It wasn't as smooth at the beginning with my knee, but once that pain left, physically and aerobically I felt great.
‘I still need to get back to match speed, which is why these friendly games, especially against a good side, is good to get me prepared.
‘My main aim is to keep my head down, keep working and get my minutes in these friendlies and if I can be of help come the first game then great but the team comes first, so whatever the team needs I’ll be there.’
Pompey continued their Championship preparations, with a dominant 4-0 victory over League One outfit Reading.
Jordan Williams, Callum Lang and a double from Colby Bishop ensured Mousinho’s men maintained their unbeaten pre-season.
And Bowat believes the confidence levels are sky-high going into the new campaign, which gets underway in two weeks’ time.
Pompey’s Championship ambitions
‘The confidence is good. The team morale is high at the moment and we know that we can push on and do better.
‘We showed a good performance, solid going forward and defensively by keeping a clean sheet. We just want to build on that. We are a good unit, we’ve worked hard this pre-season, the boys are really at it so we’re all very confident leading into the first game.
‘What we achieved last season was great, coming into the Championship and staying there is never easy but I think we did a good job at that. Obviously, we didn’t have a good start to the season but the way we finished off was strong and we want to build on that.’