BREAKING: Huge Portsmouth promotion showdown with Barnsley postponed

Pompey’s promotion showdown with Barnsley next week is OFF.

The massive meeting with the Tykes at Fratton Park has been surprisingly called off because of international call-ups.

The News understands Pompey have hit the three-player threshold to see the match not take place a week Saturday.

Boss John Mousinho had indicated his expectation was the clash with the Championship chasers would go ahead.

Kusini Yengi has been called up for the Australia squad to face Lebanon in a World Cup qualifying double header, while Paddy Lane is in Northern Ireland’s squad to play Romania and Scotland in friendlies.

Conor Shaughnessy was not named in the Republic of Ireland to face Belgium and Switzerland in friendlies this afternoon.

Abu Kamara, who has reportedly turned down an offer to play for Sierra Leone, is eligible to play for England at age-group level along with Myles Peart-Harris.

The Barnsley match has now been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 16 (7.45pm), paving the way for a potentially massive end-of-season encounter under the Fratton lights.

Pushing the game back also potentially gives time for injured players to rejoin the group, with Mousinho’s squad battered by a swathe of issues.