Portsmouth in poised for injury boost ahead of West Brom showdown
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has revealed Tom McIntyre is in ‘contention’ to play this weekend.
Due to a chronic injury, Portsmouth has been without the defender since February.
After the international break, McIntyre, 25, could finally make his eagerly anticipated comeback on Saturday when his team gets ready to play West Brom at Fratton Park.
According to The News, Mousinho has provided an update on his health: “You have to do what is right for Tom, and he’s back in contention. Even though we are short in defense, that doesn’t accelerate the timescale.” It was frustrating when we lost him back in February and frustrating that we lost him after the Wycombe game when he picked up an injury.
“His preseason has been inconsistent, but we brought him in during January for a reason, and that reason included his ability to support us in League One.” The other reason is that, having competed there previously, we believed we could go to the Championship and he could continue to assist there. Tom is a strong contender for West Brom, and his return is welcome.
Portsmouth’s increase in injuries
Portsmouth will benefit greatly from having McIntyre back as they get ready for their next games.
The center back is eager to begin his career in Hampshire after having such a difficult time adjusting to life at Fratton Park.
He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Pompey in January, and the club has the option to extend his stay by an additional year.
On his debut against Northampton Town, McIntyre was sent off and suffered an ankle fracture. Although the red card was eventually revoked, he was sidelined for the remainder of the season as his new team went on to win League One.
Before making his first team debut in 2018, the former Scotland youth international progressed through Reading’s academy and was a regular for them at several different levels.
Before being sent to Portsmouth, he played 120 games for the Royals in all and scored seven goals from behind the scenes.
What will happen to Portsmouth next?
The last time out, Mousinho’s team fell 3-1 at home against Sunderland. They have yet to win in the second tier.
They will be keen to defeat West Brom and get back on track after that setback.
Following their most recent game’s 1-0 victory over Swansea City, the Baggies go down south.
In their pursuit of promotion to the Premier League, Carlos Corberan’s team is now ranked second in the standings, one spot behind Sunderland.
