'Everybody loves him, he's massively popular': Portsmouth boss on unlikely dressing-room character driving Blues morale in play-off push

And John Mousinho is relishing calling upon the popular Ipswich loanee again for the trip to MK Dons, having served his three-match suspension.

Pigott was enjoying a rare run in the Blues side – with successive starts – before collecting a straight red card at Accrington last month for a challenge on keeper Toby Savin.

Having also netted in that 3-1 success, it represented another setback amid a frustrating Fratton Park spell consisting of just seven League One starts.

Regardless, Mousinho credits the 29-year-old as the squad’s biggest character, whose upbeat attitude and quick humour have been pivotal to team morale.

And not even lengthy spells out of the side have dampened the infectious energy of the former AFC Wimbledon striker.

Mousinho told The News: ‘It’s great having Joe around, I absolutely love it, that’s what I want.

‘He’s really lively, really vibrant, a funny, lively guy, and massively popular with staff and players, everybody loves Joe Pigott.

‘Travelling up and down the country for more than 46 games can be quite a slog sometimes, especially if results aren’t always positive, so I need him to keep coming in and lifting the place.

‘He has done that even when he’s played zero minutes in a week, when maybe he could have played based on training performance.

‘Joe loves being a footballer, loves playing for Pompey, that’s brilliant, a really good trait to have. This is someone who remains positive, regardless of what the circumstances are around his playing time.

‘He’s probably the most lively one in the dressing room, a real character, very quick, very sharp, really intelligent, he doesn’t let anybody off with anything.

‘Bright, bubbly and loud, not like an old-school prankster or anything, you just know when Joe Pigott is in the room – and that’s a really good quality to have.

‘As a player, it would have been nice to have been in the same dressing room as him, instead I had the misfortune of playing against him!

‘He’s my sort of character to have around the place. You can’t have everybody being a Joe Pigott, but you definitely need some of them.’

Pigott has netted six goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, yet been handed just 14 starts.

With Colby Bishop operating as the lone central striker, both Danny Cowley and Mousinho have struggled to accommodate the Ipswich man.

Although, before his ban, Pigott was playing off Bishop and producing some decent form.

Mousinho added: ‘Joe knows circumstances have changed because of the team’s shape and Colby doing so well.

‘When I say he’s intelligent around the place, he is football intelligent as well, I think he gets it, that’s the reason we can play him in that different position.

‘I wouldn’t say Joe is traditionally a number nine, but there’s a huge amount of scope to play elsewhere, not just because of his football intelligence, but his all-round game intelligence.’