How a six-game wonder became Portsmouth loan flop - the curious demise of Huddersfield's Josh Koroma

Situated midway in Peterborough’s half, the debutant took four touches as he assessed attacking options, before threading a perfectly-timed pass into the box for Dane Scarlett.

The Spurs youngster did the rest, producing a left-footed finish to seal a 2-1 triumph as the Blues hauled themselves level on points with leaders Ipswich on September 3.

Arriving on deadline day and having been introduced as a substitute, Koroma was in a hurry to impress – and he maintained that at breakneck speed.

With four goals and an assist from his opening six matches, including netting on his full debut against Plymouth with a ferocious strike, the Huddersfield loanee was living up to the hype.

At the time, team-mate Joe Morrell declared himself surprised Pompey had managed to recruit a ‘Championship performer’ and a ‘top player’. Few would have disagreed.

Over his next 18 appearances, however, Koroma netted once more – and contributed no league assists.

Incidentally, Sean Raggett has double his assist tally in League One this season, while Michael Morrison is tied.

Having soared so early, the attacker’s subsequent alarming plummet in form has been baffling.

On Wednesday, Pompey announced they had decided to cut short Koroma’s scheduled season-long loan at the halfway mark. And nobody could protest.

With his Huddersfield contract expiring this summer, Fratton Park offered the tantalising shop window for the 24-year-old to parade his talents and secure a future.

As it turned out, his stay will rank among the more disappointing loan spells of recent times, finding himself among the company of such luminaries as Tyler Walker, Cole Kpekawa, Ryan Allsop and Joe Mason.

Yet, unlike many other loan flops over the years, Koroma was offered regular first-team football and plenty of opportunity to play himself into form, with 12 starts and 12 substitute appearances.

Danny Cowley, who previously managed him at Huddersfield, even varied the attacker’s role in a bid to drag out some sort of sustained form, utilising him on both flanks, centrally behind the striker, and even up front.

But save that impressive opening burst, Koroma failed every audition piece, culminating in a familiar impactless display at Bolton in Tuesday night’s Papa Johns Trophy defeat.

Pompey’s abject lack of creativity is culpable for two league wins in four months, guilty of 10 goals registered in their last 13 League One matches, and cost Cowley his job.

All must accept responsibility, a collective failure which now even threatens the club’s participation in the play-offs, having once led the table earlier this season.

Nonetheless, Koroma represented an ambitious capture, prompting the increasing of Cowley’s playing budget and designed to strengthen the Blues’ play-off ambition – yet he barely performed.

It was once said the ex-Leyton Orient player was missing a young family still based up north, a sympathetic issue not uncommon for footballers asked to move to the other end of the country temporarily.

Regardless, Koroma will be entirely judged on his displays on the pitch and, as a consequence, Pompey were always going to cut their losses in this window.

The loan slot and wages can be used far more effectively elsewhere, for the Blues need fresh attacking recruits – rather than relying on a six-match wonder – to save their fading play-off challenge.