‘I obviously want to play, we’ll see how it goes’: Portsmouth stalwart on being in cold as he faces fight for prominence

But the Blues stalwart told those not picking up minutes as John Mousinho’s side fly, they can find themselves thrust into the heart of the Blues’ promotion bid in an instant.

That proved the case for Raggett as he was handed his first start of the season in the 2-0 success over Port Vale.

Raggett is the longest-serving player of the group currently playing at Fratton Park, with 203 first team appearances spanning four years. The 29-year-old has been in the cold this term, however, as both Regan Poole and Conor Shaughnessy perform superbly in the middle of defence.

Raggett gave the current starters the credit they deserve, but highlighted that doesn’t mean it’s a challenge for those not involved.

The former Norwich man knows from experience things can quickly change, however.

He said: ‘The boys have done great this year so far, so I’ve not been able to get in. That’s a positive as a team, but I obviously want to play as many games as I can. So we just have to see how it goes from here.

‘Sometimes that’s the case (you don’t do anything wrong but other players perform). It’s the case for a lot of players in the squad. Players like Ben (Stevenson) hasn’t even been in many squads, but came in and did well.

‘We have that squad depth and sometimes you can’t get in simply because other players do well. It’s a positive, as seen in the results, but for those out of it we have to keep working hard and try to get in.’

‘Of course it can be tough, especially for some of the younger ones.

‘For me, I’ve played a lot of games and know how football works. I’ve seen in my time here how often things can happen with injuries, suspensions or loss of form. I’ve had so many different centre-half partners in my time here. Things can change in an instant, and when you do you need to be ready.’

Mousinho has been at pains to make it clear to those not featuring at Pompey, they need to realise their fortunes can quickly turn around. Raggett feels that it’s still tough for those on the fringes to feel they are contributing, however.

He said: ‘When you’re not involved it’s always the same. There’s not too much a manager can do to make you feel involved. There’s always a little bit of you that doesn’t quite feel part of it.

‘When I was playing I wasn’t looking at the players on the bench as not involved, but when you’re in that situation it sometimes feels like that. Everyone just has to stay positive and work hard, because you never know what can happen.’