‘We’re easily top two material' - Portsmouth and ex-Millwall striker Aiden O'Brien issues surprising assessment on new teammates after Sunderland switch

The 28-year-old arrived at Fratton Park on deadline day last month in a permanent deal from Sunderland.

And he believes the Blues have a team capable of competing for the automatic promotion places in League One.

In reality, the Blues have rarely shown credentials of fighting for a place in the Championship this season.

Indeed, on the back of a 10-game unbeaten run across October and November, Danny Cowley’s side were certainly in top-six reckoning.

But since the turn of the year, their form had hit a snag after it took seven games for them to register their first league victory in 2022.

However, the ex-Black Cat is not the only player in the club’s ranks to tout Pompey for the upper echelons of the third tier table.

Earlier this week Louis Thompson explained how the Blues’ squad will soon prove itself as one of the best in the division.

And O’Brien explained how he witnesses the individual high standards in training everyday.

He told The News: ‘We’re easily top two material. I’ve only been here for three weeks, not even a month which is a very short space of time, and I know the quality every day and we have some top, top players.

The 28-year-old has only played twice in a packed Fratton Park since his arrival from the north east.

But he explained how he’s been blown away with the Blues’ devoted support, even in times of adversity.

‘The crowd here, they rarely moan and they’re always with you until the end. We were three-nil down and they were still cheering us on. That’s quality, top quality.

‘We repaid them with draw, which most people would have written us off. But we’ve come back and showed fight and repaid them with a draw, It’s not great against Fleetwood, we want to be winning at home.

‘At the end of the day, that’s football.’

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