Porsmouth and ex-Charlton forward opens up on 'tough' opening to his Fratton Park career

But the forward is confident he can deliver the goods once he’s given ample opportunity at Fratton Park.

Hackett-Fairchild moved to the Blues from Bromley for an undisclosed fee in January, after scoring eight goals in 23 appearances for the National League side.

However, the former Charlton man has yet to establish himself in Kenny Jackett's set-up.

He's made just one appearance to date, coming against Walsall in the Leasing.com Trophy a day after his arrival.

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While Hackett-Fairchild's suffered a number of niggling injuries, he was left out of Kenny Jackett's match-day squad for Tuesday's 2-0 win over Colchester.

He was also surplus to requirements for Pompey's League One play-off defeat to Oxford after the lockdown amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

Speaking to the #CounterAttackPodcast before the victory against Colchester, Hackett-Fairchild felt he could have made an impact before last season was curtailed.

But he sees this campaign as a clean slate as he aims to prove his Blues worth.

Hackett-Fairchild told the #CounterAttackPodcast: ‘I've been kind of non-stop and where I've not played a lot of game, the body starts to feel it because you're not up to that level of conditioning yet.

‘I've just been getting niggles. It's been tough but it's all part and parcel of the game.

‘When I was at Bromley, I was playing two games a week and was used to that. I picked up an injury but it was more down to being unfortunate, just before I got my move to Portsmouth.

‘Going into a new club injured is tough because the standard, the tempo and the demand on the body is different.

‘It was tough coming in off the back of an injury and I didn't get really any games at all.

‘It's been tough mentally as well but that's how it is.

‘It wasn't meant to go down like that. When they brought me in, they weren't doing well. I wasn't expecting to go in and play off the back because I was an injured player so the first two or three weeks was about getting my head down and getting fit.

‘They started picking up results – there were nine wins on the spin so no complaints there then there was the lockdown.

‘I would have liked to have had opportunities before the lockdown, I felt I could have helped the team but it wasn't meant to be.

‘I don't hold anything against that. Now it's a new season and a clean slate.

‘I'm at an age now where I need to be playing football. At Charlton, I didn't have games then went to Bromley and got games.

‘I scored eight goals and probably hit double figures for assists so I back myself and know what I'm capable of.

‘The person I am, if I'm not playing then I'm not happy. I'm 22, turn 23 in January and need a season of 30 games.’

Hackett-Fairchild completed a switch to Pompey after spending only six months at Bromley.

The Blues met the Redbridge-born forward's release clause installed in his Hayes Lane contract.

But Hackett-Fairchild revealed that Pompey had admired him before he joined Bromley.

He added: ‘The move was around for a while, to be fair. My mind was made up in the summer I was going to Bromley.

‘The Portsmouth interest came around in early October. I knew they were watching me.

‘I thought it was a bit early, but didn't think anything of it. My agent said Portsmouth really liked me and every week I'm hearing "Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Portsmouth".

‘They were the one who were keen on me the longest and seemed the most determined and that's where I wanted to go.

‘When I signed, the chief executive (Mark Catlin) said he tried to get me in the summer but I'd already signed for Bromley then obviously come back in for me in January.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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