Former Blackburn defender Paul Downing ready to bury frustrations and play central Portsmouth role

Paul Downing has targeted burying last season’s frustrations with an appearance-laden Pompey campaign.
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The defender is aiming to match the raft of Blues players who got 50-plus games under their belt in an epic season last term.

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Five Pompey players made over 50 appearances last season with two cup runs supplemented by reaching the play-offs.

Downing wants to be ready to face the demands of a similar schedule this time around.

He said: ‘I only played 20-odd games last season with the first half of the season being frustrating.

‘So I feel fit, mentally fresh for the season and looking forward to the challenge.

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‘Hopefully it can be a successful one for everyone involved at Portsmouth.

Paul Downing in action for Pompey against Hawks.. Photo by Dave Haines/Portsmouth NewsPaul Downing in action for Pompey against Hawks.. Photo by Dave Haines/Portsmouth News
Paul Downing in action for Pompey against Hawks.. Photo by Dave Haines/Portsmouth News

‘I want to play as many games as possible, so I want to make sure I’m as robust as possible.

‘All the work now is building towards that.

‘You need to be able to handle three games a week and the gaffer has spoken about that behind the scenes.

‘We need to be ready to put in the work required.’

Pompey were given a decent test of their credentials as they stepped up their pre-season work against Hawks.

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The 2-1 win was a reflection of a contest in which there wasn’t much between the two sides.

Downing was pleased Paul Doswell’s side offered a strong challenge after the 11-0 romp against League of Ireland side UCD last Wednesday.

He added: ‘It was a good test against decent opposition.

‘We needed that after Wednesday, which wasn’t as competitive.

‘I felt it was a good exercise and we’ll be better for it

‘We got what we needed out of it and now we look forward to the games to come.

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‘It was quite tough. It always seems to be hot in pre-season nowadays, but we’ll benefit from that in the long run.

‘There’s stuff to work on as there always is but the boys put in a good shift and there’s time to get things right.’

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