Pitman: Return of elder statesmen can boost Pompey results

Brett Pitman celebrates scoring his second goal at Oldham. Picture: Joe Pepler

The Blues’ skipper returned with two goals and a man-of-the-match showing in Saturday’s deserved 2-0 win at Oldham.

This weekend he will be rejoined in the squad by Nathan Thompson – back from suspension – and the fit-again Gareth Evans.

In their absence, Kenny Jackett had fielded a side with an average age around 22, with erratic results.

Now senior players are steadily coming back to bolster their ranks, including 30-year-old Pitman.

Not that the 17-goal striker particularly considers himself as an elder statesman.

He said: ‘It’s a young team and I would like to think experience helps.

‘We did well at Oldham but the more experience you have is never a bad thing.

‘You need it just to control certain situations but credit to the lads out there, we were still a young team on Saturday and got the points, keeping a clean sheet pretty comfortably.

‘It is not normal that your most experienced player is aged 30, it’s normally a bit older than that.

‘When I was young I played in a team at Bournemouth which was very experienced, we had a lot of senior pros.

‘The lads will come through this tough period we’ve had, though, and be better for it, coming out of the other side, definitely.

‘Credit to the lads, they have dug in and managed to keep a good clean sheet at Oldham pretty comfortably.’

Thompson has been sidelined by a four-match suspension.

Meanwhile, Evans has been missing for the same timeframe with a hamstring problem.

The Blues host Oxford United on Sunday (4pm).