Ex-Wigan, Cardiff and Birmingham striker entrusted to fire Portsmouth into Championship in 2019 joins fourth club since Blues exit

Unfortunately, we all know how that went.

And as the Blues navigate another transfer window that has the same end goal, one of their supposed key signings from three years ago sees himself on the move once again.

In fact, Omar Bogle’s switch to Hartlepool this week on a permanent deal represents his fourth club after his forgettable six-month stay at Fratton Park came to an end.

His move to the League Two outfit brings to an end a less than productive one-year spell at Doncaster Rovers that saw him exiled by former manager Richie Wellens.

And although new Donny boss Gary McSheffrey brought him back into the first-team fold in recent weeks, the 28-year-old has begun yet another new chapter in his career following three goals in 27 appearances for League One’s bottom club.

It’s hardly the level the much-travelled striker envisaged for himself when he joined Pompey three years ago with the Championship in sight.

And it’s fair to say the Fratton faithful wouldn’t have predicted Bogle’s journey since – with unproductive moves to Den Haag and Charlton also in between – as they welcomed him to PO4.

Indeed, there was optimism in the air as Kenny Jackett unveiled a striker who had cost Cardiff and Wigan a combined fee of £1.75m – confidence that gathered pace following a debut goal against Luton, despite Pompey going down to a 3-2 defeat at Kenilworth Road.

But as the season started to unravel and the goals refused to flow, Bogle will be remembered mostly for his part in that disastrous January transfer window of 2018-19.

In total, the forward scored four goals in 14 appearances for the Blues, before returning to parent club Cardiff at the season’s end. .

Then Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock played him briefly on his return to Wales, before granting a loan move to Alan Pardew’s Den Haag in Holland.

Bogle was then released at the end of the 2019-20 season and returned to the third tier with Charlton – but again failed to live up to expectations during his three-month spell at The Valley.

That theme was repeated at Doncaster, ensuring that In the 30 months following his Pompey tenure, Bogle has scored just six goals for three different clubs

There’s no doubt, though, Pools manager Graeme Lee will be hoping he’s the man to unearth the striker’s previous form in the fourth tier – when he bagged 19 goals during the first half of the 2016-17 campaign for Grimsby.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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