Another square peg in a round hole required following Portsmouth left-back crisis

Pompey lined-up against Peterborough fielding two left-backs in their starting XI.
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The following match at Accrington, not a single one could be found in their entire squad.

From being overloaded with left-sided full-backs, Kenny Jackett finds himself starved of their service for the remainder of 2019 and beyond.

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Lee Brown, who completed the 2-2 draw with Peterborough, will today visit a specialist to discover the extent of his latest Achilles problem.

Lee Brown is to see a specialist on Monday as he seeks help with his troublesome Achilles injury. Picture: Daniel Chesterton/PinPepLee Brown is to see a specialist on Monday as he seeks help with his troublesome Achilles injury. Picture: Daniel Chesterton/PinPep
Lee Brown is to see a specialist on Monday as he seeks help with his troublesome Achilles injury. Picture: Daniel Chesterton/PinPep

The injury first flared in August, forcing him off in the 3-3 draw with Coventry at Fratton Park.

Following an eight-game absence, he returned at Doncaster in October, a comeback coinciding with a noticeable uplift in the Blues’ fortunes.

The problem has returned, however, and, to add to Pompey’s woes, his long-standing deputy has already been ruled out until February.

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Brandon Haunstrup limped off with a knee injury at the end of that Peterborough draw at Fratton Park, with the full prognosis announced by Jackett on Thursday.

Potentially ruled out for up to eight weeks, it actually represented a best-case scenario, with initial fears centring on a far worse outcome.

Now Brown has joined the 23-year-old on the treatment table, with Anton Walkes called upon to stand in at left-back at Accrington.

A versatile right-footed performer, he previously replaced for Brown in the first leg of the League One play-off semi-final at Sunderland last term.

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There was also the Leasing.com Trophy win over Northampton earlier this month.

Now his presence in the role has become more than a fleeting stint, the likelihood is he will provide a temporary solution for at least six weeks.

His left-back run started in unfortunate circumstances, with the Blues slumping to an abject 4-1 defeat at struggling Accrington on Saturday.

Not that the finger should solely be pointed in Walkes’ direction, it was a wretched team performance, particularly from a new-look back four.

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Regardless, Brown and Haunstrup are sidelined for the foreseeable future.

And in a squad already short of genuine left-sided players, injuries dictate another square peg will be hammered into a round hole.

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