Cook makes Pompey goalkeeping pledge

Teenager Alex Bass has been left as Pompey’s only fit stopper as the long-running search continues.

Paul Jones has suffered a recurrence of the thigh problem which kept him out at the end of last season.

He was scheduled to line-up for the Blues in Saturday’s friendly against Bournemouth, only to feel the injury 24 hours earlier.

Meanwhile, Chris Konopka’s trial has now ended having failed to convince during the second-half of the 3-3 draw with the Cherries.

Cook has spent the summer hunting for a new goalkeeper having used five in the problematic position last season.

The necessity has been cranked up following Jones’ latest blow, but Pompey’s boss is adamant there will be an arrival before the League Two August 6 kick-off against Carlisle.

He said: ‘I can tell our fans not to worry about it, we will bring someone in.

‘We have been in the market for a keeper for a bit, we thought we’ve been close, then we haven’t been close.

‘Our fans know we must bring a keeper in and the search goes on, that is all we can tell you.

‘We want one today, we want one as quickly as possible.

‘But in our willingness to get one we cannot bring people in for the sake of it, so it is a little bit watch this space.

‘You cannot just bring anyone in, it has to be the right one.

‘Paul Jones picked up an injury again on Friday, he was due to start Saturday against Bournemouth.

‘It was a recurrence of his previous injury so that is where we are, I wouldn’t have a clue how long he is out for.

‘Lads get injured, it’s part of the game, it’s what happens, no-one can do anything about it.

‘Obviously we are down to just Bassy at the minute, we are stretched there, but speaking about it every day is not going to solve it, that’s for sure.

‘It will change within a blink because we will have a goalkeeper in for sure, then it will be a bit more positive.

‘Until we get that situation resolved then everyone is going to be a little bit concerned and rightly so.

‘But we are on the case and will find the right person.’

Pompey had been in negotiations with Thorsten Stuckmann earlier this summer, only for a prospective deal to fall through.

The 35-year-old keeper is a free agent after last week leaving Doncaster by mutual consent.

But Cook declined to comment on any interest in the 6ft 6in German.

He added: ‘We are not going to speak about other players, we’ll just keep going.

‘If he was on our list we might have maybe done something, but we are not going to comment on players individually.’