Aborah challenged to prove Pompey worth

The 29-year-old midfielder joined the Blues as a free agent on Wednesday, after leaving League two rivals Notts County last month.

Short on match practice, though, the new arrival will not feature in the squad for today’s trip to Barnet (3pm).

That leaves the former Ajax academy graduate with a 15-game window to prove he is deserving of a contract past the end of this season.

And for Pompey assistant manager Leam Richardson, the ball is very much in the player’s court.

‘Stanley has signed a deal until the end of the season,’ said Richardson.

‘But if he backs his ability and he is as good as we all think he is, and he thinks he is, you’ll possibly see him here next season.

‘It is down to these last 12-plus weeks for him to get his head down.

‘He’ll certainly need a bit of fitness because he has had a few weeks now without training and playing.

‘Our lads will get hold of him quite quickly and try to get him back to speed

‘Hopefully you’ll see him performing soon.’

For Pompey, the acquisition of a man expected to challenge for a defensive-midfield spot came about at short notice, following the mutual termination of his contract at the Magpies.

But Aborah arrives on the south coast with a number of informed admirers, including the Blues’ second in command, who viewed the deal as a ‘no-brainer’.

Richardson said: ‘Stanley is a player we have watched now for two to three years from afar.

‘We have done a fair bit of research on him and he is a good footballer.

‘Certainly, the way we play, we feel he can add to the squad.

‘With an opportunity to bring an experienced footballer in at this time who handles the ball so well, I think it is a no-brainer.

‘He really does add to what we are trying to do here.’

Richardson dismissed character concerns over much-travelled Aborah, who lists Pompey as his 11th club in a nomadic career that has taken in the likes of Holland, Belgium, Slovenia and Hungary.

And while new County boss Kevin Nolan did not see the Ghanaian-Belgian as a part of his plans at Meadow Lane, Richardson is not concerned by the fall-out.

He added: ‘We saw Notts County a lot last year – the manager at the time, Carlos Muniz, brought him in and rated him very highly.

‘But, obviously, in any club when you have transition in manager and players, people fall out of favour.

‘That is all that has happened to Stanley.

‘We’ve seen it at Portsmouth in the last two or three years, some players have come with a good reputation and not quite worked out while others have – that’s just football.’