Connor Ogilvie v Cohen Bramall: Portsmouth boss addresses his left-back preference after 'excellent' full debut

However, the Blues boss has intimated that Connor Ogilvie will remain his first-choice left-back.

The energetic Bramall turned in a man-of-the-match display at Deepdale after being granted his maiden Blues start since arriving from Rotherham in the January transfer window.

To accommodate the attacking full-back, Ogilvie was switched to the centre of defence, replacing Marlon Pack as Regan Poole’s partner in the disappointing 2-1 defeat.

Yet irrespective of Bramall’s impressive showing, that still may not be enough to dislodge Ogilvie at left-back beyond Preston.

Mousinho told The News: ‘I am not necessarily sure that Connor is going to lose his spot at left-back, but, if we can shift things around, then Cohen is certainly a good option.

‘I thought Cohen was really good against Preston and really unlucky not to get a goal with the ball that hit the inside of the bar in the second half.

‘He’s a constant threat going forward. There are a couple of bits he needed to work on defensively, but I thought he was really good.

‘The way Preston played we thought it would lead into having a bit more athleticism on the pitch and Cohen is one of the best athletes we’ve got, so we thought he’d be able to break from deep and not just have that reliance on Murph to give us the outlet.

‘Cohen gave us a load of energy going forward, he nearly scored and produced a couple of really good crosses.’

Career ‘risk’

Bramall is battling to convince Mousinho he deserves a Pompey future after signing a six-month deal.

Faced with the opportunity to play in the Championship again, the 28-year-old jumped at the ‘risk’, backing himself to prove his worth on the south coast.

He has since made eight appearances, albeit Preston representing his only start, in an encouraging start to his Blues career which has impressed supporters.

Bramall’s previous seven outings involved featuring on the left wing, operating in front of rival Ogilvie, yet last Saturday was a first glimpse at left-back.

And, despite the 2-1 defeat which marked successive losses, Mousinho was satisfied with how the former Arsenal man performed defensively.

Pompey’s head coach added: ‘He defended pretty well for the most part, he just needed to sort his feet a couple of times when the ball went to the back post and he didn't really clear it.

‘But the energy that he gives us, the pace, the athleticism, the drive to go forward was excellent.’

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