'To be honest' - Portsmouth boss explains surprise call-up for former Barnsley keeper against Sheffield Wednesday

The 29-year-old’s current Pompey deal runs out at the end of the season, after he arrived from League One Barnsley for an undisclosed fee and on a short-term basis in January.

Killip had not been involved in any match-day squad up until Saturday’s trip to Hillsborough, with Nicolas Schmid the Blues’ undisputed No1 and Jordan Archer the preferred option as back-up.

Mousinho turned things on its head against the Owls, though, with the January arrival handed the opportunity to prove himself in the dead-rubber head-to-head against Wednesday.

He was one of five changes made to the side that clinched Championship safety against Watford on Bank Holiday Monday - including Harvey Blair, who marked his first start since October with his maiden goal in a Pompey shirt in the 1-1 draw.

That 23rd-minute tap-in cancelled out Callum Paterson’s ninth-minute opener for the hosts - a goal which, in fairness, Killip could do nothing about,

And while the stopper had very little else to do in terms of real danger during the remainder of the game, Mousinho believed it was a worthwhile exercise as attention turns to those players out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Explaining his decision to select Killip against the Owls, the Blues boss told BBC Radio Solent: ‘We wanted to have a look at Ben. We haven't seen him at all this season, he hasn't even been on the bench once, so if we're going to make a decision on next year, I thought it was good to have a look at him and, to be honest, I thought he was very good today.

‘He didn't have too much to do but seemed to do quite well when he was called upon.

‘He did well when he was called upon, I thought his distribution was good and calm, he gave us that.

‘Not a huge amount in terms of saves, we made quite a few blocks in the second half and defended the box well, but very happy for Ben.’

Pompey’s out-of-contract players

Killip is one of six contracted players still awaiting a decision on his future from the club.

Colby Bishop, Terry Devlin and Regan Poole were all handed new deals earlier this year, while Pompey’s Championship survival also guarantees midfielder Andre Dozzell a Fratton Park stay.

However, it’s still not clear what decision will be made on Killip, Kusini Yengi, Zak Swanson, Alexander Milosevic and Cohen Bramall, who also arrived on a short-term deal in January.

The Blues have the option to extend the contracts of both Yengi and Swanson - two players who didn’t even make the squad for the game against Sheffield Wednesday - by another 12 months.

Traditionally, Pompey make known their decision on players in the days that immediately follow the final game of the season.

The Blues’ last game of the current campaign is against Hull on Saturday, May 3.

For your next Pompey read: Neil Allen's Portsmouth player ratings against Sheffield Wednesday