'A glimpse of what I can do': After almost 15 months out, luckless Portsmouth man shines in front of Blues followers

And having offered a tantalising first glimpse, Liam Vincent is relishing proving to the Fratton faithful he’s worthy of wearing the shirt.

The attacking left-back last featured in a first-team fixture in April 2021, when he started in Bromley’s 2-1 National League win at Chesterfield.

Since then he has been recruited by Pompey and sidelined by a stress fracture in his left shin bone.

Saturday’s 3-0 triumph over the Hawks represented Vincent’s first Pompey outing, capped by a wonderful free-kick.

Certainly he impressed in a 45-minute cameo after his half-time introduction – and the 19-year-old is convinced there’s more to come.

He told The News: ‘For me, it couldn’t really have gone any better, it made the struggles of last season feel worth it.

‘I wouldn’t say I was nervous before the game, but, with the bit of added pressure, I was a little on edge after being out for so long. I wanted to come out and show everyone what I can do.

‘That’s the first time playing in front of the Pompey fans, but also my last match was April 2021, a very long time.

‘Even then the last couple of times at Bromley I struggled with injury. Then I had the 2021 off-season, came in and had a scan. At first they thought it was shin splints, but it turned out it wasn’t, it was a stress fracture.

‘I played four games for the Academy at the end of last season, doing a 45 minute and then a 60 minute, but even then I was still struggling a bit with the shin, with it being painful.

‘With the off-season, the injury seems to have really settled down now and hopefully I’m only going to push on.

‘It’s great to be back and more or less able to get through it pain free.

‘This has been a tough period, but it’s great to be back now and show what I can do. Hopefully I’m going to prove to fans what I’m all about.’

With around 3,000 in attendance, Westleigh Park also represented the biggest crowd Vincent has played in front of.

And within four minutes of his introduction on his first Pompey outing, he netted with a left-footed free-kick to make it 3-0.

He added: There’s glimpses there and hopefully I’m going to get better.

‘I wouldn’t say I did badly on Saturday, but there’s definitely still areas I need to improve and work on. Let’s not forget that's the first men’s game I’ve played in 14-and-a-half months.

‘My mum, dad and brother were in attendance as well, so it was a special moment for me, especially with putting the ball into the net.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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