Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett reveals plans for strike pairing Ellis Harrison and John Marquis

The Pompey boss has hinted at settling down his attacking line-up with both John Marquis and Ellis Harrison in his side’s starting XI.

Jackett opted to use fit-again Harrison in front of Marquis in the 3-0 win at Rochdale on Saturday.

That continued on from Marquis being used in the number 10 position in the previous league fixture against Southend at Fratton Park, before Harrison missed the FA Cup trip to Harrogate through injury.

Now Rotherham arrive at Fratton Park ahead of a run of games in which Jackett believes the pairing can develop their understanding.

He said: ‘There’s a lot of promise.

‘With them, like a lot of our squad, I’m looking forward to how they do.

‘I’m looking at both of them and they can both score goals and both do well for the club and team.

‘It will be interesting to see how they develop together as a nine and a 10.

‘There’s the work on the training ground, the information and the regular playing and football.

‘Those things affect those two guys. Yes, they’ve been fine but it’s now going forward which will define them.

‘That’s good. Sometimes it takes a while forming partnerships and coming to a club.

‘It will be very interesting to see how those two do now, definitely.’

Despite playing two strikers, Jackett has stayed with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation before a half-time tweak at Rochdale on Saturday.

Assistant Joe Gallen called the change a ‘towards a 4-4-2’ with fans thirsting to see the pair used alongside each other in attack.

Jackett distanced himself from that, however, instead preferring to say the change was ‘zonal’ rather than a formation switch.

He added: ‘All we said to our nine and 10 was stay left and right, because they were getting dragged over the same side.

‘They were good at switching it in their own half and running the ball out and when they overloaded you it was difficult.

‘I was saying to John and Ellis to stay in your area rather than being dragged because it had quite an effect on us.

‘Where they were close there wasn’t the first or second pass out to create an opportunity.

‘It was more zonal the adjustment than necessarily formation.’