Portsmouth newcomer's honest fitness admission as he targets making Championship impact
The attacker scored 14 goals in 45 appearances for Burton last season before his £1.8m Fratton Park switch
Tyrese Shade is adamant Pompey fans have still to see him at full throttle as he plays catch-up over his fitness.
A fragmented pre-season consisting of just one 50-minute outing for Burton in a friendly against Derby has left the 26-year-old ‘a bit behind’ in terms of match sharpness.
Playing on the left wing once more, he was replaced in the 74th minute by Ryan Kavuma-McQueen following an appearance which was a little quieter than his instant impact on his Fratton Park debut.
Still, it represented more crucial time on the pitch as Shade edges towards full fitness, having previously played just 28 minutes of competitive football before his Pompey switch.
‘I am a bit behind’
Shade told The News: ‘I am not up to match speed yet, but I think it will come with games and then in training, I’ll just have to keep working on that.
‘I am a bit behind, my end product in the final third can be a bit better, but I’m hoping that during the international break I will be here to work with the staff and improve that. It should come with training sessions and the more games I play.
‘I’ve not really had a proper pre-season. This summer the club kind of looked after me a bit in terms of keeping me out of fixtures because there was an expectation of me moving away.
‘I played 45 minutes all pre-season, so you can kind of see that - and I know myself - I am a bit behind.
‘So I will have to keep working on that and getting up to speed as soon as I can - then the boys and the manager can rely on me being a real outlet for them in possession.’
One pre-season game and one substitute outing in League One
Burton opted to protect their prized asset over the summer amid ongoing transfer interest from a number of clubs, including Pompey.
As a consequence, a first-half outing against Derby on August 1 was his sole involvement in their friendly schedule.
What’s more, Shade was the match winner, netting against Sweden World Cup keeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom from the penalty spot in the 11th minute, having won the spot-kick himself.
Once the season started, his only involvement was as a 62nd-minute substitute in last month’s 2-1 defeat at Notts County in League One.
Now he has started both of Pompey’s last two games ahead of Kavuma-McQueen, albeit not in his usual centre-forward role.
Shade added: ‘Burton didn’t want me to get injured, so I just have to get up to scratch now.
‘I still trained with them in the summer, I was around the building every day, it was the usual I have to turn up, I can't have days off!
‘But there is a difference between training and match fitness and you can tell the attacking boys are trying to carry me a bit, but it should come with games.’