'As long as I am at Portsmouth...': John Mousinho's emphatic response over Marlon Pack's Fratton Park future
The Buckland boy has scored 10 goals in 142 appearances for his home-town club
John Mousinho addressed Marlon Pack’s Fratton future and insisted: I’ll be doing everything to keep him.
The veteran midfielder was handed his first start of 2026 for the trip to Charlton, in place of the injured Andre Dozzell.
Now he’s toasting successive victories as skipper, while also registering his second goal of the season in Saturday’s 3-1 victory at Millwall.
Pack, who turns 35 next month, has been a pivotal performer during Mousinho’s three years at Fratton Park, including being handed the captaincy in January 2023.
And with his contract scheduled to expire this summer, the head coach is adamant he wants the influential Buckland boy to stay.
‘There’s a reason we extended his (last) contract’
Mousinho told The News: ‘Marlon has more than 700 games and to come in and have the influence he’s got is very reassuring for me.
‘For me, as a head coach, to have that level of talent but also level of care and reading of the game on the pitch, is brilliant. Marlon’s overall performance against Millwall was excellent.
‘He has come back in after a bit of time out of the side and has slotted in brilliantly. There’s a reason we decided to extend his (last) contract for two years after the League One-winning season.
‘It was a straightforward decision at that point, we have always been very confident that Marlon can keep going.
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‘It probably surprised a few last season in terms of his ability to affect the Championship in a different position, but he’s back in his position now and is really going from strength to strength.
‘As long as I am at the football club, I will be doing everything I can to keep Marlon here.’
10th career goal for Pompey
With Dozzell ruled out for four weeks, Pack has the opportunity to maintain his flourishing central-midfield partnership with Ebou Adams.
Paired together at Charlton for the first in the week, they helped the Blues to only a third away win of the season.
The duo were then at the heart of Saturday’s triumph at The Den, representing successive victories for the first time in 10 months.
Pack netted Pompey’s third of the game, rifling home a right-footed shot on 67 minutes after Adams’ initial shot from John Swift’s left-wing corner had been blocked.
It was his first since coming off the bench to score at Ipswich with a late header in a 2-1 defeat in September - and his 10th overall in Blues colours.
In the meantime, Mousinho is ready to retain the former Cardiff man in his starting XI for Tuesday night’s trip to Wrexham (7.45pm).
He added: ‘For any player to play that number of games in your career, you have to be firstly very good and second of all really dedicated to the craft and Marlon certainly is.
‘And I’m extremely happy to have him here.’
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