John Marquis giving Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley selection headache ahead of Crewe trip

The striker, who has missed the Blues’ past three games because of suspension, is currently troubled by an ankle injury.

He picked up the problem in Pompey’s Papa John’s Trophy defeat against Salford and has been struggling since.

The Blues’ top scorer missed the subsequent games against Peterborough and Ipswich, but was back in the team for the trip to Shrewsbury.

That match saw Marquis sent off and forced to sit out Pompey’s past three games.

However, head coach Danny Cowley admitted on Saturday that the forward had been receiving injections in his ankle during his time on the sidelines to help deal with the issue.

And it’s an problem that could prevent him lining up against Crewe tomorrow night.

That will represent a huge blow to the Blues, who have been struggling for numbers in the attacking third in recent weeks.

Both Ellis Harrison and Jordy Hiwula are out for the forseeable future, while Michael Jacobs is expected to do under the knife for knee surgery.

Winger Ronan Curtis has been forced to play up top the past two games, while youngster Alfie Stanley was named on the bench for Saturday’s defeat at the hands of Burton.

Also on the injury front, Lee Brown will miss the trip to Alex after he picked up a hamstring injury against the Brewers.

However, his absence falls into the short-term category.

Charlie Daniels is expected to deputise against Crewe.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

The News has launched a subscription offer which gives you unlimited access to all of our Pompey coverage, starting at less than 14p a day.

You can subscribe here to get the latest news from Fratton Park - and to support our local team of expert Pompey writers.