Portsmouth rival suffers League One promotion blow as they are 'priced out of move' for former Fratton Park favourite

Stevenage’s hopes of bringing in former Pompey favourite Craig MacGillivray to boost their promotion chances have been dealt a blow.

According to reports, Steve Evans’ side have been priced out of a move for the 30-year-old, who is currently plying his trade at League Two MK Dons.

That has suposedly led Boro, who sit seventh in the League One table and outside the play-off places on goal difference, to explore other options. Taye Ashby-Hammond - who has made 28 appearances in all competitions this season - is the only first-team goalkeeper on Stevenage’s books, after Krisztián Hegyi was recalled by West Ham to facilitate a move to Dutch Eerste Divisie club Den Bosch.

Despite featuring 25 times for MK Dons this term following his free transfer move from Burton in the summer, MacGillivray is believed to be available to other clubs. New Dons boss and former Pompey man, Mike Williamson, is reportedly looking at a move for Aston Villa keeper Filip Marschall - who he worked with during his time at Gateshead.

MacGillivray, who is believed to have turned down a move to Carlisle, is remembered fondly in these parts after spending three years at Fratton Park, following his 2018 move from Shrewsbury. He went on to make 135 appearances and was a landslide winner of The News/Sports Mail’s Pompey Player of the Season in 2021 - picking up 65 per cent of the vote, with no other player recording more than eight per cent. 

The keeper was part of two play-off campaigns in his time with the Blues and was part of the team who lifted the Checkatrade Trophy, beating Sunderland at Wembley. He featured significantly in that memorable victory over the Black Cats - saving from Lee Cattermole in the penalty shootout as Pompey converted all of their spot kicks in front of a crowd of 85,021.