Pearce: I may be next to leave

The Blues skipper turned in a typically battling display in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Bristol City.

His performances have seen him linked with an emergency loan move to several Championship clubs in recent weeks.

But Pearce revealed he has no idea whether he will be the next star shipped out of Fratton Park.

Pompey manager Michael Appleton knows more of his squad could be forced out of the door before Thursday’s deadline, though. The perilous financial situation has already cost him the services of Erik Huseklepp, Liam Lawrence, Hayden Mullins and Stephen Henderson – all loaned out in a bid to cut costs.

And while Pearce is not among Pompey’s top earners, administrator Trevor Birch is still looking to reduce the inflated wage bill.

Perhaps more importantly, the defender would attract a sizeable loan fee that could prove to be another vital cash lifeline for the club.

Pearce said: ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen and I don’t know if they have to sell me or what.

‘I’m a Portsmouth player, I’ve got a contract here and I’m going to give my all to this club until I’m told differently.

‘I haven’t been told any differently at the moment so I would think I will be here but it could be out of my hands.

‘I’ve come through the ranks here and I hold this club really close to me. It would be really sad to go.

‘All I know is that every day in training and every game I am lucky enough to play, I will give my all as I always do.’

Pearce is desperate to stay put at Fratton Park.

But that willingness to fight for the cause did not prevent close friend and team-mate Henderson being loaned to West Ham last week for a fee of around £700,000.

Regardless, the former Bournemouth man remains determined to stay to lead the battle against relegation.

‘It’s really tough,’ said the skipper.

‘The move for Hendo was out of his hands.

‘He loved it here, as I and a lot of the other lads do.

‘It’s hard. If we had kept all the players together, they are experienced players for us and we could have done well.

‘But we know why it’s happening. ’

Appleton is still working on bringing in two more players to the ranks on loan to replace Henderson and Mullins.

But that would take him to the maximum of five that can be used in a match-day squad.

Should he lose any more players this week, he would be unable to replace them.

Despite the odds now being stacked against Pompey after their goalless draw against City, Pearce has still not written off Pompey’s hopes of survival.

He said: ‘We have to stick together and keep on believing – that’s what we’ll do. We’ll fight to the end.

‘We have got to keep believing. If we don’t believe, we are never going to do it.’