Forgotten former Portsmouth man finds new home as life continues after Fratton Park heartbreak
Liam Vincent was signed by Danny Cowley in 2021 but never played for Pompey during his three-year stay.
Former Pompey youngster Liam Vincent is on the move for a second-successive summer following his Fratton Park departure last year.
The 22-year-old has signed for National League outfit Sutton United after impressing in the division below for Tonbridge Angels.
The versatile operator, who can now play either at left-back or in midfield, was a standout performer in his first full season away from PO4 after being released following the Blues’ League One title success.
Indeed, Vincent featured 41 times in all competitions for the Angels, scoring nine goals and was the club’s joint-highest goalscorer as they went on to finish 17th in National League South.
After a successful campaign, the former Bromley youth product is now looking to use his firepower in front of goal to help Sutton return to the EFL.
The ex-Blues youngster will also link up with reported target Jack Taylor, who was tipped with a move to Fratton Park following the campaign’s conclusion - although that claim has since been rubbished.
Speaking on his arrival at Gander Green Lane, Vincent opened up over his Pompey frustrations but insisted he is over his heartbreaking departure: ‘It feels great, I’m delighted to get it over the line and I can’t wait for the season to start.
‘Yeah really excited (to return to the National League). I was at Tonbridge last year in the league below and I feel like I’ve done well there, earned my stripes and now I’m looking forward to being in the league above.
‘I started at Bromley, started there at under-14s, did my scholar there and then in the second year I broke into the first team where I played 10-15 games. From there I then got picked up by Portsmouth when I just turned 18.
‘I spent three years there, it didn’t quite go how I wanted it to but that’s part and parcel of football. From there I was at Tonbridge last year and now here.
‘You learn loads. You’re around experienced pros who have got hundreds of games in the Football League. You pick up stuff every day and I learned a lot. It moulded me into who I am now.’
Liam Vincent’s Pompey disappointment
Vincent was the first signing made by Danny Cowley during the summer of 2021 when he was recruited from Bromley, aged 18.
However, his maiden campaign on the south coast was hit by injury, with a leg issue keeping him sidelined for his first 13 months.
But, crucially, the defender wasn’t wholly trusted by Cowley and Mousinho and failed to register a first-team outing during his three-year stay at Fratton Park. He did, however, make nine appearances in a match-day squad but was an unused substitute.
There were glimpses of what Vincent could offer, with an impressive pre-season outing against Havant & Waterlooville in 2022 catching the eye of the 3,000 in attendance.
But that would come to no avail and he would go on to total seven seven different loan spells away during his three years at PO4, before departing last summer following Pompey’s League One title success.