“Pompey Face Injury Worries Ahead of Vital Derby Match at Fratton Park”
Captain John Mousinho has disclosed that two players who played in the Good Friday win against Wycombe are uncertain for the upcoming game, with their fitness rated as 50/50. Both players will undergo late fitness tests before the televised clash with Derby on Tuesday night.
According to Mousinho, the duo are suffering from ‘knocks’ rather than anything more sinister, with any potential absence likely to be for one match.
Regardless, Pompey’s head coach is otherwise buoyed by the number of players now returning from injury for the promotion run-in.
He told The News: ‘It’s nothing major, we just have a couple of players we are checking on, they are 50/50. There will be a late fitness test on Tuesday.
‘We are not going to name them for obvious reasons, so hopefully they’ll be all right and we have the same squad to pick from. If not, we’ve got cover.
‘It’s niggles, bits and bobs they picked up from the game at Wycombe. It was a physical encounter, a couple of hefty blows, particularly towards the back end of the game.
‘We’re just monitoring those players to give them the best possible chance. It’s nothing too concerning, if they miss out on Tuesday night they’ll be okay for the weekend.
‘We’ve got a squad for a reason to be able to rotate. I’ve done it pretty consistently throughout the year where we win games and I change the side because I think it’s the right thing to do for the next match.’
Meanwhile, Pompey’s selection options have been boosted by the returns of Ben Stevenson, Tino Anjorin and now Tom Lowery to full training in recent weeks.
And Chelsea’s Anjorin is under consideration for the clash with Derby.
Mousinho added: ‘We’ve had a couple of injuries that have returned recently, Connor Ogilvie coming back into the side was a nice boost.
‘Tom Lowery is now in full training with us and, although not available against Derby, it’s nice to see him back. Even though he’s not been available for a huge amount of the season, he’s had a massive impact.
‘With Callum Lang we are probably looking at the Bolton weekend (April 13), while Tino is now back and was available for Wycombe, but we thought that was one game too soon for him, we don’t really want to risk him at that stage.
‘Last Friday we had 22 pros to select from which you include Tino, which was a much healthier position than we’ve had.’