'I left Bristol City for a club with no manager - it was a no-brainer': Portsmouth defender on an unusual start to Fratton career

Yet for Ryley Towler, Pompey represented a ‘no-brainer’ in his desire to progress a promising career.

And it’s a leap of faith instantly rewarded as the former Bristol City man continues to flourish in the Blues’ first-team.

Head coach Danny Cowley and right-hand man Nicky were dismissed four days before Towler finalised a switch from the Championship.

Certainly enough notice for the 20-year-old to announce a change of heart and target a more stable dressing-room environment.

Not a chance.

Towler told The News: ‘Joining a club without a manager didn’t bother me, not at all, there was a bigger picture.

‘Being a football fan, I know how big a club Pompey is, so when you’ve got a bit of interest it’s a no-brainer to come down, even if there’s no manager.

‘You don’t realise how good the crowd is until you get to Fratton Park, it’s an unbelievable ground, and it’s an ambitious club who want to get into the Championship.

‘My dealings were with Rich Hughes and I knew a manager would be coming in. It doesn’t matter when that happens, you’ve still got to impress whoever's in charge, whether he’s here before you or after.

‘So not having a manager didn’t bother me, I just looked at the club, the great opportunity for me to play football, and couldn’t turn it down.

‘To be fair, you just get on with it, keep training and keep focusing on games rather than worrying about a managerial appointment being made.

‘That didn’t bother me one bit.’

Within a week of starting his Fratton Park career, Towler found himself in the first-team.

Initially as a substitute for the final 23 minutes of last month’s 3-0 defeat at Bolton, the defender was handed his full debut in the following match against Exeter.

He has remained there ever since, racking up seven successive starts and four clean sheets, all coming under new head coach John Mousinho.

Towler added: ‘I didn’t expect to go straight into the side, I thought I’d have another couple of weeks at least!

‘Obviously my aim was to do that, I wanted to get into the team as soon as possible – and luckily it happened quite quickly.

‘Initially I was cup-tied for Bolton then, after a week’s worth of training, was on the bench for the league game.

‘I suppose it helped playing almost every game for AFC Wimbledon, so I was fit and ready to come in and play – now I want to stay there.’