Matt Casey awaits on Yeovil as Portsmouth forgotten man seeks opportunities

At the heart of Pompey’s defence for the 1-0 win were Matt Casey and Christian Burgess, performing together for a third-successive outing in the competition.

Since January 22, however, Casey has failed to make a single Blues appearance.

This season there was a Hawks loan spell aborted after two matches, while Kenny Jackett reveals the 20-year-old last week trialled at Yeovil.

Yet on the Pompey front, the towering centre-half has fallen away from the first-team picture, even in the rebranded Leasing.com Trophy.

Jackett remains a fan of the Academy product’s ability, but opportunities continue to elude.

The Blues boss said: ‘Matt last week had a trial at Yeovil, they had a look at him with view to a loan.

‘We have spoken to one or two people – if it’s possible to get him out on loan, we will.

‘I’m sure it has been a frustrating time for him in terms of wanting to play since coming back from Havant.

‘With us, Matt has gone down the pecking order slightly and hasn't played.

‘Going through the qualifying rounds and into the knock-out stages, we had with Northampton at home, but didn’t have much travelling, which over a 10-day period might affect selection in those games.

‘He has been a bit unlucky in terms of games so far, he’s a great lad and must persevere.

‘Matt needs football, but it’s hard and you have to earn it. There’s a lot of people going for those places, even at a very good level of non-league.’

Casey continues to feature for Pompey reserves during their sporadic fixtures.

He last month skippered a youthful side in a 6-0 Premier League Cup defeat at Aston Villa.

Jackett added: ‘Matt is getting bigger and stronger, we’ll always give him time to get strength to match that big frame.

‘After Havant, I think there’s a realisation about the football world, it doesn’t always work out perfectly for you, but it’s how you respond. There’s always going to be adversity – and it's about what you do in those times.’