Portsmouth and John Mousinho claim made ahead of final Championship push

Former Wolves striker Don Goodman has praised John Mousinho for the work he has done at Pompey - but he doesn’t believe the Blues head coach will be able to replicate what Kieran McKenna has been able to achieve with Ipswich this season.

Pompey, under Mousinho’s guidance, stand on the brink of a return to the Championship for the first time since 2012. They require just seven points from their remaining five games to seal promotion - although successive wins against Shrewsbury this Saturday and at third-placed Bolton on April 13 will also be enough to see them book a place in next year’s second tier.

It’s a journey Ipswich have recently successfully navigated, with the Tractor Boys winning promotion from League One behind champions Plymouth last season. However, unlike the Pilgrims and fellow promoted side Sheffield Wednesday, they’re riding high at the top of the Championship standings with just six games remaining.

McKenna’s side stand a real chance of returning to the top flight for the first time since the 2001-02 season. But Goodman, who’s now a pundit with Sky Sports, doesn’t believe Pompey can have such an impact on their potential return to the second tier. Instead, he’s off the opinion that the Blues will be able to hold their own in the division and hope for a play-off spot. He also believes keeping hold of Mousinho will also be an achievement - although he doubts whether the 37-year-old would leave behind all that he’s built at Fratton Park since his January 2023 arrival.

Goodman told Cypto Casino Ltd: ‘I think they (Pompey) should be worried that he might be poached, but Portsmouth are a massive club with a brilliant fan base.

‘They should never have been outside of the Championship for 12 years but teams can get stuck.

‘I look at John Mousinho as a man and I think he will view Portsmouth as an opportunity to be in the top-half of the Championship. They won't do an Ipswich, it could be years until someone does what they have done. But if you're in the top half you're never too far away from the play-offs and that should be the aim for Pompey.

‘He will struggle to find a better club and I think he'll be backed to do some wheeling and dealing, too.’