No1 battle is the least of worries for boss Jackett

Recruiting new faces this summer is most pressing now

MIDWAY through the opening game of the season, Kenny Jackett discovered the answer to a problem which didn’t exist.

Granted, Alex Bass was shaky during the first half at Stevenage, an uncertain presence which clearly transmitted itself to crumpling team-mates positioned in front.

Overall, it was a wretched defensive display from the Blues, which saw them leak three goals in the opening 29 minutes against a club ranked as non-league a few weeks previous.

And so substitute Craig MacGillivray saved the day. Literally, considering his remarkable three penalty stops in the subsequent shootout.

The outcome is MacGillivray has reclaimed the firstteam spot snatched away from him on New Year’s Day.

Jackett’s ‘gut feeling’ was instrumental in a decision unforeseen, even taking the

Blues goalkeeping department by surprise over the timing.

Certainly MacGillivray had done little wrong to warrant his sudden removal. Following an outstanding maiden Fratton Park season, he possessed plenty of credit in the bank.

Undeniably, Bass was developing at a rapid pace, his magnificent showing at Oxford United in the Leasing.com Trophy a prime example.

The Blues’ decision to tie him to a threeand-a-half year deal in January was telling. He also impressed significant- ly in his new-found first- team run to show it wasn’t a bad call by Jackett.

The truth is, however, Pompey have not suffered from goalkeeping issues during Jackett’s tenure. Not really. Certainly not enough to proclaim a selection triumph from Stevenage.

There are presently plenty of personnel problems across the pitch for Pompey – the identity of the goalkeeper is definitely not among them.

Whether Luke McGee, MacGillivray or Bass have occupied the first-team role, none have been a glaring weakness in desperate need of rectifying.

There have been the occasional slips, of course. For McGee there was Bury, a moment his Pompey career never recovered from.

Nonetheless, Jackett has been fortunate with his goalkeepers. It’s a position which has rarely required addressing through the quality and consistency of the occupants – two of which he signed.

Let’s not forget, it took Paul Cook a year to solve his problem, ultimately picking up David Forde on loan from Millwall.

Forde was seen as the shortterm answer – and what a fine

Goals conceded by Pompey in the opening 29 minutes at Stevenage signing he proved to be, everpresent in the League Two title campaign.

Cook named six different goalkeepers in squads during 2015-16, including borrowing Ryan Allsop for the play-offs during an injury crisis.

Guy Whittingham alternated between John Sullivan and Phil Smith at the start of the 2013-14 campaign, with both struggling alarmingly.

During pre-season, Pompey’s boss had been forced to scramble around for a new keeper after Simon Eastwood performed a U-turn and rejected the chance to stay at Fratton Park in favour of joining Blackburn.

It took the loan arrival of Trevor Carson after the infamous defeat at York in September 2013 to cure Pompey’s headache.

In the present, Jackett is blessed with two players capable of performing exceptionally well in League One. Surely few clubs at this level possess a stronger goalkeeping pool.

The choice for the Blues’ number one spot this season is not the issue. Neither