'I care about their opinion': Portsmouth man's heartfelt message to the Fratton faithful after Reading high point

Colby Bishop has thanked the Pompey fans for their ‘brilliant’ backing through a frustrating period.

The Blues’ leading scorer suffered an unhappy time at the turn of the year, culminating in cupping his ears to the crowd after scoring against Stevenage on New Year’s Day.

That gesture prompted a mixed reaction from the Fratton faithful, with Bishop's reaction relating to social media criticism over his performances.

Nonetheless, he netted his third goal in six matches in Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Reading, marking a 16th in total this term.

And afterwards the striker voiced gratitude to those who have provided cherished support in the aftermath of Stevenage - and continue to sing his popular Pompey chant.

Bishop told The News: ‘The fans have been amazing with me. Some of the messages I’ve received have been brilliant.

‘They have told me they are grateful and how hard I work for the team, which is nice to hear. Sometimes it’s important to have a pat on the back from people whose opinion I care about.

‘You can always work hard. You might not be good on the ball one day, but you can always work hard, that’s something you can control.

‘I’m not a massive user of Twitter, it’s more Instagram and I’ve been getting some fantastic messages. I see a lot of fans around and talk to a lot of fans, they’re all really nice to me and I appreciate it.

‘Every time I hear my song I have a smile on my face. I might not smile on the pitch because I’m concentrating but, from the moment I heard it at Sheffield Wednesday from when I scored my first goal, I will never get bored of hearing it.

‘They keep singing it and it makes a difference to me. Sometimes when things aren’t going your way, they sing that song and it gives you that extra 10 per cent.’

Bishop now totals 40 goals in 88 appearances since joining from Accrington in July 2022 for around £500,000.

And, with his existing deal expiring in the summer of 2025, he is adamant remains happy on the south coast.

The 27-year-old added: ‘I was happy anyway. Maybe there has been a bit of frustration, but I’m happy here and hopefully people can see that. I love it here.

‘Everyone gets frustrated, but when you get people backing me like they have, I am so happy.’