Millwall loanee Mahlon Romeo makes Portsmouth pledge after eye-catching start to Fratton Park life

The right-back has proven an instant hit following his season-long loan arrival from Millwall, producing some eye-catching displays.

During his 11 appearances, he has served either at right-back or as a right-sided wing-back, maintaining his consistency to demonstrate natural versatility.

Unquestionably, Romeo along with Gavin Bazunu have so far been the stars from Danny Cowley’s foray into the loan market.

Yet the 26-year-old acknowledges he has still to either assist or score for the Blues.

And he’s targeting Bolton’s visit to Fratton Park on Saturday as the start of an escalation in his performances.

He told The News: ‘I’m trying to make an impression and I’m loving it at Pompey.

‘There’s definitely more to come from me and I think I’m coming out of my grace period, so I’m going to keep going.

‘That’s what I like to call it, a grace period. I am coming out of that now and trying to go 100 per cent every time I get a chance.

‘I’m looking to add numbers and consistency to my game, hopefully you will see that against Bolton.

‘I’ve not got any assists so far, so I could add a couple more. I’ve got to get myself in a few positions and work a bit harder for it to happen.

‘It’s a funny situation I’m in, I had been playing at Millwall, which is a good thing because I didn’t need time to get fit or game time when I arrived here, so that was lucky for me.

‘There have been some disappointing results, but, when you pick out actual bad performances, there are maybe one or two of them.

‘We’ve been losing games we should have won, drawing games we should have won, but we are in this run and, when you aren’t getting them right, earning a point at Accrington is key.’

Last weekend’s 2-2 draw reflected a halt to three successive defeats, including abject second-half displays against Rotherham and Ipswich.

Cowley opted to ditch his wing-back system at the Crown Ground, with Romeo reverting to a conventional right-back role in a back four.

And the loanee is adamant he can perform effectively in both systems.

He added: ‘I had no qualms with it (system change), anywhere on the green grass I am happy.

‘Maybe it needed a change. If we’d have won we’d definitely be saying “Yes, we did” – and we could have won.

‘I knew what to expect at Accrington, I don’t think it’s a normal kind of game.

‘Sometimes you can’t do what you want all match, you might not get as much joy or as much ball on the floor as you want in a game, but that’s part of football.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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