Defender ready to hand Portsmouth welcome injury boost ahead of Blackburn Rovers and Millwall games

The defender has missed the Blues’ past six games with a heel injury, with his last appearance for the Fratton Park club coming against Oxford United back on October 5.

Yet it appears the 24-year-old could be in the reckoning to feature against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday - all thanks to a social media post by, erm, The Kings Theatre!

To help promote their upcoming ‘Pompey Panto’ Dick Whittingham, which runs from November 29 to December 31, they sent ‘Dame Dolly’ down to the Blues’ Hilsea-based training ground for a bit of extra fitness work.

Among those to welcome the star of the forthcoming show were Pompey head coach John Mousinho, Callum Lang, Terry Devlin, Jordan Archer and Toby Steward. But also kitted out and clearly part of Blues training during the international break was Swanson.

The former Arsenal youngster had started six of Pompey’s nine Championship fixtures before being struck down by the injury. He established himself as a key player for Mousinho, despite doubts about his Fratton Park longevity in the summer as contract talks dragged on. And while doubts remain over Jordan Williams’ current fitness level, having the right-back on course for a return will provide the Blues with a welcome boost ahead of Saturday’s trip to Ewood Park.

The only issue for Swanson, though, is the emergence of Terry Devlin as a serious full-back option during his time on the sidelines. After being overlooked for large chunks of the early season, the 21-year-old has proven more than capable of competing at Championship level. Devlin has featured in all of the Blues’ past six games and earned rave reviews in the process as he took the chance to remind Mousinho & Co of what he can produce.

The young Northern Irishman will feel hard done by if he’s not in the starting line-up to face Rovers. But with other members of Pompey’s walking wounded list expected back after the international break, competition for places will begin to heat up ahead of a busy period in the Blues’ schedule.

Following this weekend’s trip to Lancashire, Pompey play host to Millwall at Fratton Park (Wednesday), before heading to Swansea on Saturday, November 30.

The Blues host their pre-Blackburn press conference on Wednesday, when we’ll get a better picture of the injury situation of the first-team squad and Swanson.