Players' return offers reasons to be cheerful

And that enthusiasm for what lies ahead this season could be felt as Pompey's players returned to training yesterday.

Of course, buoyancy towards the coming months is the universal right of fans before a competitive ball is kicked.

Cynicism usually overtakes that sentiment before the end of August for most of us, so the upbeat feeling right now is one to be cherished.

It was undoubtedly evident amid The News' coverage of Kenny Jackett's men being put through their paces at the club's Roko training base.

After being welcomed in to cover events with the club, the Facebook Live recording training proved a sounding board for supporters' upbeat mood.

Talk of promotion, £100 bets on Pompey to go up and an all-round positive mood resonated across the comments section.

Looking at what was unfolding provided an opportunity to see the new faces in the shape of Craig MacGillivray, Lee Brown, Tom Naylor, Ronan Curtis and Louis Dennis.

They were all turned out in the new training kit since Pompey's link-up with Nike and sponsors University of Portsmouth.

There's was also the chance to note any dodgy new haircuts on offer and assess who'd picked up the best tan during their break.

Although, it's a time for fans' cheer, that's not always been the case for management staff.

Memories of Steve Cotterill making a point of parading the seven senior players he had at his disposal to the press in 2010 comes to mind.

Likewise, there were a few bemused looks on the faces' of a new set-up as they trained at St John's College playing fields near Farlington Marshes, at the start of the community era three years later.

We wait to see what lies ahead in the coming nine months, as the action gets under way'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹ on August 4.

But from their current vantage point fans see plenty of reasons to be cheerful.