Portsmouth suffer fresh injury blow as on-loan Bristol City defender forced off v QPR

Just days after losing top-scorer Callum Lang to a hamstring injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season - plus the recent loss of Conor Shaughnessy for six weeks with a similar problem - on-loan Bristol City defender Rob Atkinson has been added to the Blues’ injury list.

The 26-year-old was making his 10th appearance for Pompey against QPR today following his January transfer window switch.

Yet he had to be subsituted on 39 minutes after appearing to suffer a calf injury. The centre-back was replaced in the Blues defence by Regan Poole, who only returned to action last week after a period out with separate hamstring and calf issues.

The extent of the injury picked up by Atkinson is not clear at this moment. However, his early withdrawal continues the bad luck Pompey have had with injures to their centre-back options this season.

Ibane Bowat was ruled out for the entire campaign in Septebmer - just days after arriving on a permanent deal from Fulham. Shaughnessy has featured just six times in the Championship this term because of injuries, while Poole only returned to action in September following 10 months out with an ACL injury.

Tom McIntyre, currently on loan at Charlton, also missed the opening weeks of the season after fracturing his ankle on his debut in January 2024, while the Blues had to ask captain Marlon Pack to fill in at centre-back for a large chunk of the season before the turn of the year.

Pompey bolstered their centre-back options in January by bringing in Atkinson on loan until the end of the season and signing Hayden Matthews for £1.2m from Sydney FC.

Prior to his move to Fratton Park, Atkinson has not made a senior appearance in almost two years after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury while playing for Bristol City in February 2023.

For your next Pompey read: Portsmouth fans left wondering where striker is after starting XI and bench named for QPR game