Out-of-favour striker had Portsmouth Get Out Of Jail Free card - but stayed to be part of promotion push

And for a third straight game, Hiwula was omitted fromthe Blues’ squad.

Even after back-to-back defeats, Kenny Jackett still couldn’t find a place for Hiwula in his match-day set-up.

From the little we’ve seen, Hiwula has impressed. There was a fine curling finish in the FA Cup routing of King’s Lynn before he fired a double at Cheltenham in the Papa John’s Trophy.

Three goals in seven games is a respectable return for a forward at any level.

Members of the Fratton faithful want to see what he could do if given ample opportunity in the Blues’ League One promotion push.

Hiwula will be desperate for a chance to display his worth.

Yet he remains behind John Marquis and Ellis Harrison in the pecking order, while Marcus Harness and Ronan Curtis served as cover on the bench in the 3-1 win at Charlton.

Frustration among sections of supporters continues to grow that Hiwula is not being given a fair go.

You only have to look at the replies on Twitter after Pompey announce the team news an hour before kick-off.

Justice for Hiwula is a phrase regularly used.

But what is worth remembering is that Hiwula had his Get Out of Jail Free card – but opted not to cash it in.

After signing a short-term deal when arriving in October, the ex-England youth international could have departed on January 20 when his contract was up.

After just 10 minutes of league football since arriving and not starting in the third tier since October 2019, no-one would have begrudged him for moving on.

An exit would have been amicable and understandable after being confined to a support-role act at PO4.

However, despite interest from Swindon and knowing he was Pompey’s third-choice striker, Hiwula decided to extend his south-coast stay.

And although Jackett's persistently said the 26-year-old will get minutes, the same was told to the likes of Louis Dennis and Lloyd Isgrove. There was precedent for Hiwula to consider.

What’s evident is the forward wanted to be part of another promotion side.

Rather than switchin to a club scrapping for survival, he’ll instead be pursuing a second League One winners’ medals.

That will strengthen his bargaining power in the summer if he moves on to pastures new.

There are also queries from some over why Pompey bothered keeping Hiwula if his situation isn’t going to change.

Well, Jackett was hardly going to leave himself a body short in the striking department heading into the second half of the season.

Let’s not forget the uproar when Harrison sustained an injury against Doncaster only a day after a marksman wasn’t recruited on summer transfer deadline day.

Is Hiwula a valuable member of the Blues squad? Undoubtedly.

Will Jackett throw him in if he believes it's the right move? Absolutely. There are no concerns over a lack of ability.

But if Pompey continue to win games, Hiwula's situation is unlikely to change.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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