Pompey do face Northampton in the Checkatrade Trophy this weekend but more eyes will be focused on Charlton on Saturday week, by which time the Blues should have at least two players in contention.
Brett Pitman, despite his claims he could have been fit to face Plymouth, was forced to sit out the win but the forward should return to full training early next week. As a result he’ll most likely be back for the trip to Charlton – a game that will see a HUGE following travel with Pompey – as the Blues look to keep the pressure on the League One play off places.
Also back – quite possibly on Saturday, if Kenny Jackett decides this is a risk worth taking against the Cobblers, which I would doubt – will be Christian Burgess as his suspension has been served.
However, there are still serious doubts over Oli Hawkins and Kal Naismith’s availability for the game at the Valley; the pair will sit out Saturday’s game regardless.
On Pitman the boss told the News: ‘Brett will be back training by the end of this week and then we hope by Monday or Tuesday he will be in full training for that weekend. He is not one to miss or want to miss games. He pushed quickly after the knee injury and the mask, he`s one of those who can still put it in even if not 100 per cent.’
On the other two Jackett said: ‘With Kal, there’s still a lot of swelling there. It’s very big and will take a few days to go down. There is no point doing a scan, you wouldn’t see anything clear at all. Hopefully, in a few days it can settle down and there is no damage inside.’
Adding: ‘As for Oli, he’s had a scan so we are awaiting the outcome. His was more connected with his back and we hope it’s not too bad. I have been very pleased with him and hopefully the hamstring isn’t too serious and he’s back pretty quickly.’
Naismith was impressive against Plymouth on Saturday, looking a constant threat and winning literally everything in the air – when he’s in the sort of form shown it is hard to argue against his inclusion.
Admittedly I’ve been a little concerned about Hawkins, signed as a striker after all, playing in central defence but I would say he’s played well and looks as if he could very much be the part as a defender going forward and that certainly increases our options in both areas.
Quickly looking ahead to the Checkatrade game with Northampton on Saturday, not that I’m sure how much interest it will attract, this is a 12:30pm kick off at Fratton Park a game that can also be viewed live on the iFollow service.
PLAY UP POMPEY
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