‘Available for selection’: Portsmouth handed fitness boost for promotion showdown at Bolton Wanderers

Tom Lowery is primed for a return in Pompey’s potential title-winning showdown at Bolton.

The Blues have deemed the classy midfielder ‘available for selection’, after making his training comeback after a month out with a hamstring injury.

Lowery’s availability is a selection shot in the arm for John Mousinho, as his options return at a critical moment in the season.

The 26-year-old has been hindered by well-documented fitness issues in his time at Fratton Park, but has shown himself to be an important player when out on the pitch.

A knee injury picked up on the opening day against Bristol Rovers sidelined the former Crewe man, before his influence was key to starting the 15-game unbeaten run which has taken Pompey to the brink of reaching the Championship.

Lowery frustratingly picked up a hamstring issue against Cambridge last month, however, but is back to offer his services as the Blues go to the Toughsheet Stadium.

Mousinho said: ‘Tom Lowery is back in full training. He managed to get in towards the back end of last week.

‘He did at the back end of last week what Callum is doing now. He was in and then with S&C (strength and conditioning), but he’s trained fully with us this week and is available for selection.’

Mousinho has made it clear he views Lowery’s potential involvement at Bolton as a boost, a view backed by the fact he has largely used the classy operator when he’s been fit since arriving as Danny Cowley’s successor.

Any squad place would mean players missing out against Wanderers, as Pompey’s injury issues show signs of improvement.

Tino Anjorin was left out as a precaution last weekend but is back in contention, while the likes of Josh Martin, Ben Stevenson and Ryley Towler didn’t make the squad against Shrewsbury.

Mousinho added: ‘With Tom, you can probably recognise how highly we rate him. When he was fit we brought him into the team. He started the first game of this season and when he’s been available we’ve pretty much got him back into the side as quickly as we possibly could.

‘He’s had a fantastic part to play. He’s not played a huge amount, but when he has been involved his performance levels have been right up there, so to have him back is a real boost.’