Luckless defender to miss out on Luton clash
LUCKLESS Joe Hancott will miss out on a Pompey reserve outing against Luton Town today.
The left-back, who became the youngest debutant in the club's history aged 16 and
161 days in August 2017, has suffered a torrid time with injuries over the past 18 months.
Hancott suffered ACL damage during an innocuous incident in training in October 2019 that forced him to undergo surgery.
He underwent the knife for a second time towards the end of last year to remove scar tissue that had built up during his rehabilitation.
However, Hancott – who has made three appearances for Pompey – has made good recent progress from his longterm setback.
He played an in-house game before featuring for an hour for the academy in a friendly victory against Luton.
However, the Isle of Wight ace will be unable to face the Hatters at Gosport Borough (1pm kick-off).
Hancott has tweaked his groin and won't be risked given he's already spent a significant period on the treatment table.
Although Kenny Jackett's side host Sunderland in League One later in the evening, it's expected some of the first-team squad who need minutes will feature against Luton.
Ben Close hasn't played since coming off the bench at halftime in the Blues' 4-0 defeat to Hull on January 23.
The midfielder has been omitted from the past 10 match-day squads, although he was injured with a hamstring problem for a period.
Paul Downing's once again been a peripheral figure at Pompey this season, with all of his six appearances arriving in cup competitions.
Meanwhile, Duncan Turnbull will start in goal after making his Blues bow in the EFL Trophy loss at Peterborough.
Pompey have been unable to get the American stopper out on loan to non-league because of coronavirus.
In addition, third-year scholars Harry Kavanagh and Alfie Stanley are also expected to be handed some muchneeded minutes.
Kavanagh served as 19th man in the Blues' abject 4-1 loss at Northampton Town on Saturday.
Likely Pompey team: Duncan Turnbull; Harry Kavanagh, Paul Downing, Izzy Kaba, Harvey Rew; Ben Close, Harry Jewitt-White; Harrisn Brook, Charlie Bell, Alfie Bridgman; Alfie Stanley.
KENNY JACKETT tackled the intense pressure he’s facing and accepted: The buck stops with me.
The Pompey boss has discussed the strain he’s under at battling with his side’s woeful form as the wheels come off their season.
But the 59-year-old is adamant he can deal with the heat and find the solutions which are desperately needed.
Fan anger is justifiably at a high in the wake of the abject 4-1 defeat at Northampton on Saturday, with in-form Sunderland arriving at Fratton Park next.
Jackett believes he can handle the fury being aimed at him, however, and reverse Pompey’s slump.
He said: ‘The nature of it is as a manager is the buck stops with me. I know that and accept that.
‘The results have been disappointing and hard to take. You do feel it 100 per cent as a manager. There is no doubt about it.
‘To be able to make sure you can put that right is everything in your thinking.
‘It envelopes you, and quite rightly so, because you should be committed to turning things around.
‘All you can do is plan the next session and the next game.
‘There has to be an accurate assessment of what you need to do and where you need to improve. That’s as a team.
‘Then you need to set the mood moving forward to put things right with good performances and good results – starting tonight.
‘Since the turn of the year we’ve been inconsistent.
There’s been spells when we’ve played well, but we haven’t been consistent and the results have decelerated.
‘Nobody is more disappointed or frustrated about that than the manager’.
Pompey now face a testing run of league fixtures with Sunderland’s visit the pre-cursor to a trip to highflying Peterborough, before Paul Cook’s Ipswich come to Fratton Park. There’s also the Papa John’s Trophy final against Salford on Saturday to consider.
The board are still supportive of Jackett, although it remains to be seen whether the poor run continuing could change that position.
He added: ‘There is pressure. It’s a privileged position we’re all in at Portsmouth, players and manager. We understand that.
‘For the board, they’re disappointed like we all are.
‘There hasn’t been any more or less conversations than there would be ordinarily between the board, manager and coaching staff.
‘It’s our job to deliver and it’s our job right now to respond. That’s where it is.
‘For the players, they’re capable of it. When we get our game right we’re capable of beating anyone in this division.
‘Sometimes the big games are the best ones to play.
‘If we get our game right we can be a match for anyone in the division. We’ve proved that this year.
‘We’ve gone away and won at many big clubs and put in big performances. We are capable of it’.