Kabamba leaves Colchester to return to Pompey

Nicke Kabamba has returned early from his Colchester loan spell.
Nicke Kabamba has returned from his loan spell at Colchester Picture: Nicke KabamaNicke Kabamba has returned from his loan spell at Colchester Picture: Nicke Kabama
Nicke Kabamba has returned from his loan spell at Colchester Picture: Nicke Kabama

Although, he won’t be able to feature for Pompey until next month.

The striker had been sent on loan to the League Two club for match experience, yet has not featured for five weeks.

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Kabamba failed to score in 10 appearances, with his last outing arriving in the Checkatrade Trophy against Southend.

The U’s contacted Pompey with a view to sending back the former Hampton & Richmond player ahead of the scheduled January end of his loan.

It means Kabamba is now back training with the Blues – but remains on loan at Colchester.

Kenny Jackett said: ‘Nicke has come back, although can’t play for us. Colchester’s still the only club he is available for until the start of January.

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‘We didn’t recall him, they phoned and said due to the fact he wasn’t in their side they felt it was best they sent him back.

‘He wasn’t going to get a game there for the short period remaining of his loan.

‘Obviously, he’s disappointed with the loan and the way it has gone at Colchester. It started okay, started brightly, but he just hasn’t had the game time.

‘For Nicke, the big thing is to now put that behind him and look forward to January when he is available again.’

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Kabamba made two substitute appearances for Jackett in August before linking up with Colchester on transfer-deadline day.

His loan exit and the cancellation of Michael Smith’s contract created room in the striking pool for the Blues to snap up Oli Hawkins.

But Jackett was also keen to hand the 24-year-old more match action than he would necessarily have received at Fratton Park.

Now Pompey’s boss must weigh up whether to send Kabamba out on loan once more in January.

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He added: ‘We’ll see what happens next, we’ll put that in the mix with all of our squad and our squad planning.

‘Obviously, Nicke was in our squad planning anyway, it didn’t take a genius to work out the way things were going to go at Colchester.

‘Even in the last month he hasn’t been in their match-day 18, so I could see it going that way.

‘It has been a disappointing loan but he has to look forward.

‘For us, we were always thinking he would be coming back and it was looking increasingly more likely as time went on.’

– NEIL ALLEN