Ex-Blues keeper sets sights on return to League One
IN HIS hurry to escape Fratton Park, Luke McGee declined to extend his deal to cover the League One play-offs.
The remaining eight out-ofcontract Pompey players readily agreed, some even turned out against Oxford United in last July’s semi-final disappointment.
Not McGee, though. His thirst for first-team football ensured he was first out of the door seeking an opportunity to kick-start a stalled career.
Now, 11 months later, he’s in a Forest Green Rovers side challenging for promotion to League One for the first time in their history.
Despite his Spurs background, there was never an ego about the goalkeeper when deciding his football destination.
McGee arrived at the Blues from White Hart Lane for an undisclosed fee in July 2017, filling the gap left by David Forde’s return to Millwall following his impressive loan stay.
The previous season there was a loan spell at Peterborough, yielding 45 appearances, then Kenny Jackett swooped to recruit
him on a permanent deal for Pompey.
Of his 55 appearances over the next three years, 50 of them would arrive in the opening 12 months. Nobody played more than him in 2017-18.
Desperate for firstteam football, McGee was denied the chance to join Cheltenham, before moving to Bradford on loan in January 2020.
Last summer he arrived at Forest Green as a free agent, once more demonstrating it was football rather than location which appealed.
The 25-year-old has been rewarded with a League Two play-off semi-final against Newport County, with the first leg taking place on Tuesday (May 18).
McGee has reached 35 appearances for Rovers this term and is expected to remain first choice during their play-off campaign.
There have been moments out of the first team, namely at the turn of the year when injury kept him out for two matches.
Upon his return, he occupied the bench for 11 of the next 13 games as young Welshman Lewis Thomas kept his place.
However, McGee reclaimed his place in April, playing the last eight fixtures as Rovers finished sixth.
Clearly he has the backing of interim head coach Jimmy Ball, the son of two-time Pompey manager Alan, who has been promoted from under-18 coaching duties.
It’s the play-offs which now occupy McGee’s sights as he targets an instant return to League One following that hurried June 2020 Pompey departure.