Colchester boss keen to seal deal for 'super fit' Portsmouth title winner as he puts injury nightmare behind him
Anthony Scully registered nine appearances for Pompey during a frustrating two-year stay at Fratton Park.
There is light at the end of the tunnel for Anthony Scully as he looks to put his disappointing Pompey stay firmly behind him.
The winger continues to work with League Two outfit Colchester United - despite yet to agree a permanent move to the Us following his Fratton Park release at the end of last season.
This has seen him link up with Danny Cowley once again after spending much of the 2024-25 campaign on loan at the JobServe Community Stadium.
The 26-year-old featured 18 times for the U’s last term - netting on two occasions - but was troubled by injuries.
Scully returned to PO4 in November to have a metal plate removed from his ankle before ending the campaign in Essex, with the club finishing 10th in League Two.
Following his Pompey departure in May, the former Lincoln City ace is on the search for a new home in a bid to reignite his career after a frustrating two-year stay at Fratton Park.
As he looks to put his injury issues behind him, the West Ham youth product has been given a major boost in his return, with Cowley praising the winger for his work in pre-season so far.
Although Scully remains not contracted to the U’s, he did feature in their 3-0 triumph over non-league outfit Maldon & Tiptree on Saturday.
And the former Pompey winger’s work to get himself in top shape hasn’t gone unnoticed by Cowley, who has praised the 26-year-old’s fitness ahead of the new campaign.
When asked if he was hopeful of signing any of the players currently on working with the club without contracts - including Kane Vincent-Young and Frankie Terry, the Colchester boss told the Colchester Gazette: ‘We hope so. They are top players, they’ve just had some challenges with injury and real luck which has gone against them. It’s been great to have them with us.
‘Sculls has been super fit and is driving the running every day.’
Anthony Scully’s frustrating Pompey stay
Cowley’s fitness update will come as a welcome boost for Scully, who is looking to put to bed his injury-hit Pompey stay.
After arriving from Wigan Athletic in July 2023, the former Republic of Ireland youth international made just nine appearances in all competitions for the Blues.
His last Blues outing came in a surprise 2-1 defeat to Cheltenham Town in January 2024 before being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with an ankle injury.
With John Mousinho’s men returning to the Championship last season, the League One title winner was firmly out of the picture and was told he had no future at PO4 before sealing a loan move to Colchester on deadline day in September 2024.
Scully’s two-year deal at Fratton Park came to a close this summer and was released alongside Kusini Yengi, Tom Lowery, Alexander Milosevic and Cohen Bramall.