Pompey defender on Stones move
Portsmouth defender Liam Vincent is hoping to put a difficult season behind him following his loan move to Maidstone.
Vincent’s debut campaign at Fratton Park, after arriving from Bromley for an undisclosed fee, was wrecked by a stress fracture in his shin.
He finally pulled on a Pompey shirt in pre-season, scoring a free-kick in a 3-0 win over Hampshire neighbours Havant. On Friday, the 19-year-old joined the Stones on a 28-day loan deal, making his debut in the
1-1 National League draw at Altrincham the following day. With regular left-back Jerome Binnom-Williams sidelined by a knee injury, Vincent knew he’d be in the starting XI.
The teenager played the first half before making way for Christie Pattisson in a tactical reshuffle, getting competitive minutes under his belt for the first time in more than a year. “The move happened quite quickly,” said Vincent.
“It’s good for me to be out on loan and pick up some minutes
and some game time. They’ve had a few injuries, so when they got in contact they told me I’d go straight into the team. “Hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll be able to get a foothold in the team and we can kick on.” Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley revealed there had been Premier League and Championship interest in Vincent when he signed him on a three-year deal in June last year.
The teenager decided on Pompey, believing he had a better chance of playing first-team football, only for injury to strike.
“It wasn’t ideal at all but that’s all in the past and hopefully I can kick on here and make an impact with the team,” said Vincent. “I was out all of last season with a stress fracture and then more or less came back for pre-season, did pre-season at Portsmouth and was looking to come out on loan.”
Vincent will continue to train at Portsmouth when he can, which will give him a chance to catch up with former Maidstone striker Joe Pigott.
Pigott, at Portsmouth on a season-long loan from Ipswich, loved his time with his hometown club and will have only good things to say about the Stones.
“Because the move happened so quickly, I haven’t had a chance to speak to him about Maidstone but I’m sure he’ll speak to me when I go back there,” said Vincent.