Appleton feels for departed Obita

Yet Michael Appleton doesn’t anticipate the forward coming back for another loan spell.

The teenager has returned to Reading after two months at Fratton Park.

It was also upon Reading’s insistence.

Since bursting on to the Blues scene with an equaliser at Colchester on his debut, Obita’s south coast stay had been a disappointing one.

A sending off against Oldham for violent conduct in the following match restricted his availability from thereon in.

Obita would make just one more start – while the death of his granddad ruled him out of contention in what was to be his final match against Shrewsbury.

It means Obita joins the ranks of Kevin Long, Paul Connelly and Conor Clifford in experiencing short loan spells with Pompey this season.

And Appleton cannot help but feel sympathy for the Reading youngster.

He said: ‘Speaking to Reading and Jordan’s agent, he feels he needs games and Reading do as well, which I can completely understand.

‘But I couldn’t guarantee that he would get massive amounts of minutes on the pitch.

‘I think we are getting stronger as a team, which you can probably tell by the results, and there is no guarantee he will get some starts over the next month.

‘So, unfortunately, we had to let him go back to Reading.

‘Jordan has done well for us in the period he has been here but it has been a little bit difficult for him because he has had a lot of stops and starts, especially with his sending off.

‘That came at a bad time. It wasn’t one of them where we had three games in a week, either, it was a bit of a period where he was out.

‘Jordan was available for Shrewsbury but never came to the game because his grandfather died in that week and he was very close to him.

‘It has been a difficult time for him so I just wish him all the best and I am sure he will go and get games for someone.

‘I would like to be in a position in the near future that if the Trust does come in -– and I do get more money and can build a squad – we’ll be in a position where we won’t have to take loan players.’