No Gary Roberts return - but boss wary of former Portsmouth pair who'll line-up for Wigan

A hamstring injury will deprive Gary Roberts of a second Fratton Park return since leaving three years ago.
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Kal Naismith will face the the Blues for the first time since his departure.

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The Scot was Paul Cook's talisman during the run-in to the fourth-tier crown in 2017, scoring seven goals in the final nine matches.

Naismith couldn't hit those heights after Jackett succeeded Cook in the PO4 hot seat, though.

He registering just two goals and one assist in 31 games before reuniting with Cook at the DW Stadium at the end of the 2017-18 season.

Naismith established himself as a regular starter towards the end of last term.

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And despite Wigan finishing 13th in the table, they were relegated from the Championship after being hit with a 12-point deduction for entering administration.

Former Pompey man Kal Naismith Picture: Joe PeplerFormer Pompey man Kal Naismith Picture: Joe Pepler
Former Pompey man Kal Naismith Picture: Joe Pepler

Naismith's the only survivor of the line-up that faced Fulham on the final day of the campaign.

The likes of ex-Pompey favourite Jamal Lowe, Antonee Robinson, David Marshall and Cedric Kipre were all sold to pay the club’s debts.

And Jackett has sympathy with Naismith, whos’ been forced to drop back to League One after establishing himself as a second-tier player.

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The Pompey boss said: ‘Obviously, they found it tough surviving financially in the Championship and their problems are well-documented.

Ex-Pompey winger Viv Solomon-Otabor. Picture: Joe PeplerEx-Pompey winger Viv Solomon-Otabor. Picture: Joe Pepler
Ex-Pompey winger Viv Solomon-Otabor. Picture: Joe Pepler

‘From my point of view, Wigan have got a good starting XI with a lot of recognised names who have experience in the Championship and League One.

‘We will respect that, as we would any opposition, but we want to play well and see if we can get our league campaign up and running after two draws

‘Kal has played a number of positions since he got his break in the Championship.

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‘He has always done well for them as he did for Pompey. He was obviously disappointed because Wigan had done very well to survive in the Championship but their situation wasn't necessarily their making.

‘Kal was always a good player, a committed player and a good character during my time here.

‘He got his break in the Championship and played very well in a number of positions for Wigan.’

Another familiar face who'll also line-up for Wigan is Viv Solomon-Otabor.

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The winger spent the second half of 2018-19 on loan at Fratton Park, netting once in 10 games.

After plying his trade at Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia last term, Solomon-Otabor penned a short-term deal at the Latics earlier this summer.

And Jackett inists Pompey will have to be wary of the ex-Birmingham man’s attacking threat.

He added: ‘Viv had the move out abroad and it would have been a good experience for him.

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‘He was looking to get back over here and I really liked Viv here as a personality and as a player.

‘He's looking to break his way back in over here and our defence will have to be working hard to make sure that we contain him.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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