Blame Ronan Curtis for Reeco Hackett-Fairchild's lack of Portsmouth opportunity

Arriving on loan from QPR in search of regular first-team football in 2018-19, he was presented with a thankless task.

Wheeler was eventually recalled to Loftus Road after a wholly unsatisfying one league start in six months – and even that outing was not in place of his rival.

For that Kassam Stadium fixture, Lowe was selected up front, with Wheeler handed the right-wing role which had so frustratingly eluded him.

Lowe finished the campaign as top scorer with 17 goals, including netting at Wembley, and then moved to the Championship.

Certainly there are echoes with Reeco Hackett-Fairchild’s current plight, albeit on the opposite flank and in contention with Ronan Curtis.

The left winger landed from Bromley in January – and Curtis has since started all 16 League One and play-off fixtures.

In fact, the Irishman has missed just two minutes of first-team action in the league during that period, not including his injury-enforced substitution at Rochdale on Sunday.

Curtis is indisputably Kenny Jackett’s first choice on the left flank, while was runner up in The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season and last term’s joint-top scorer.

He remains one of the Blues’ best players and among their prized assets. Just as Lowe was when the unfortunate Wheeler was around.

SUBSCRIBE today for the latest Pompey updates

Unquestionably it is tough for Hackett-Fairchild to stomach. A player starved of Pompey first-team opportunity since his arrival, there has also barely been a reserve outing to shine.

Nonetheless, surely very few supporters would champion the omission of Curtis during a promotion bid for a replacement unproven at Football League level?

The Republic of Ireland international is a pivotal performer for the Blues. It’s the reason why he has completed the full 90 minutes in 14 of their 17 League One and play-off fixtures in 2020.

Effectively, offering Hackett-Fairchild more appearances will reduce the game time of Curtis. The equation is simple.

Unless, of course, the former Charlton man can feature as Pompey’s fabled number 10. Yet Jackett has never intimated that as an option.

We have been repeatedly told Hackett-Fairchild is a left winger. There is certainly no evidence for us to refute that either, considering barely anyone outside the club has seen him perform.

There was a half-time outing against Gosport in pre-season, when he was introduced on the left wing and netted with his first touch.

Hackett-Fairchild would end up with two smartly-taken goals from that friendly contest and an overall display which would have hugely impressed anyone present amid a restricted crowd.

In addition, it signalled a return from another injury blow, with niggling problems also curtailing his match action since January.

It remains difficult to gauge Hackett-Fairchild’s suitability for League One football since his January recruitment – through no fault of his own.

A Leasing.com Trophy appearance at Walsall is so far his sole outing for the Blues. A tricky introduction considering he had arrived at the club 24 hours earlier.

The 22-year-old has been starved of first-team involvement, named in just two squads. Now a return to Bromley on loan until January 3 offers football, providing the National League continues in the current climate.

Unfortunately, Hackett-Fairchild has come up against an impressive wing rival in Curtis at Pompey.

As Wheeler will testify, a promotion-hunting side will inevitably always pick its star performers.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The News has launched a new subscription offer which gives you unlimited access to all of our Pompey coverage.

You can subscribe here to get the latest news and transfer updates from Fratton Park - and to support our local team of expert Pompey writers.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism on your behalf for our city.