'There’s a nervousness...' - Popular podcaster delivers worrying verdict on Portsmouth’s Championship survival chances
Pompey’s defensive injury woes could see them dragged back into the Championship relegation fight.
That’s the verdict of podcaster Justin Peach from the Second Tier Podcaster, who believes the Blues are far from safety following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to rivals Luton.
Fears of relegation once again crept into some of the minds of the Fratton faithful after the disappointing loss at Kenilworth Road brought an end to Pompey’s three-game winning run.
The defeat on the road leaves the Blues eight points above the bottom three in 17th place, with 11 games to go in the run-in.
More importantly, John Mousinho will be without January signings Hayden Matthews, who will be absent for the remainder of the campaign as he requirines ankle surgery, and Bristol City loanee Rob Atkinson, who is set to miss 6-8 weeks because of a calf issue.
It’s a double defensive injury blow for Pompey, who are also currently without fellow centre-backs Conor Shaughnessy (hamstring) and Ibane Bowat (knee).
This saw midfielder Marlon Pack once again used as a makeshift centre-half as he lined-up alongside Regan Poole at the heart of the backline for the game against the Hatters.
The 33-year-old’s return to the backline, coupled with Pompey’s growing injury list, raises alarm bells for Peach, who believes the Blues still have much to do to secure their Championship safety.
Speaking on the latest Second Tier Podcast episode, he said: ‘It's not ideal. I’m a bit nervous about these injuries to Atkinson and Matthews because they’ve been a very important cog in Pompey’s pick-up in performances. They have been superb.
‘When you’re going away to Luton - these are the games you don’t want to be losing. I know it was a tight game, I know it was on edge, but it does make me start to worry about them being dragged back into a dogfight a little bit.
‘Do they have enough defensively to get out of it? Marlon Pack dropping back into the backline does concern me a little bit. I did think he had a pretty decent game against Luton but it wasn’t a game full of quality so it was hard to take too much away from it. There’s a nervousness and a tentativeness from me about Pompey’s survival.’
Pompey still have massive chance to stay in the Championship
Despite Peach’s Pompey worries, co-presenter Ryan Dilks doesn’t share the same concerns due to the Blues’ superior points difference over the sides currently below them in the standings.
Prior to Saturday’s Luton defeat, Mousinho’s men picked up 10 points from the previous 15 available, helping them move clear of the relegation battle.
And while Dilks believes Pompey will be affected by the latest injury blow, he remains firm that the Blues will maintain their place in the Championship next season.
He said: ‘I’m not as worried because they have got Conor Shaughnessy coming back, that’ll be a big boost because every time he has played for Pompey this season I’ve been very impressed.
‘We’ve got to remember Pompey have got one of, if not, one of the smallest budgets in the Championship, so they will feel these injuries more than most. But I think they are in a good position now and are probably just a couple of wins away from securing safety.
‘If they had these injuries a few weeks ago, I would be massively concerned, but I don’t think it should be that much of a concern now. But look, they do need to get safety over the line.’