Portsmouth boss’ belief over Huddersfield Town loanee after recent struggles

And the Blues boss is adamant the Huddersfield Town loanee possess the talent to still light up his side’s play-off bid.

Koroma has endured a recent drop-off in form, after a flying start to his time at Fratton Park following his deadline day arrival.

The 24-year-old has failed to find the back of the net in his past nine outings, after an impressive four-goal salvo from four games shortly after his arrival.

Koroma made an impact off the bench in the 2-0 Papa John’s Trophy success at Ipswich Town on Tuesday night, providing the assist for Zak Swanson’s stoppage-time finish at Portman Road.

There appeared signs the former Leyton Orient man’s confidence had taken a hit, as he struggled in some recent outings and Pompey failed to fire on the front foot.

But Cowley is certain the winger’s self-belief remains in place and Koroma can bring the exciting moments he’s capable of producing to the table for his side.

‘I don’t see that,’ Cowley said, when asked if Koroma’s confidence is low.

‘Josh is a super talented boy.

‘I watch him train and he has these “wow” moments.

‘He has this ability to do things which anyone who loves the game will enjoy.

‘It’s always exciting the quality of his end product.’

Cowley feels Pompey fans have seen plenty of what Koroma is about in his Fratton stay to date.

That was displayed in strong early form, with the right footer operating down the left and showing his threat as he cuts in from the flank.

Koroma has not been able to maintain that level, however, with Pompey going on a run of a single success from nine in the league.

The challenge for Cowley and his coaching staff is to coax the best out of the attacking talent moving forward.

Cowley said: ‘He had a really good start to his life at Portsmouth.

‘He came on and set the goal up for Dane against Peterborough.

‘He then scores against Plymouth, scores against Fleetwood and scores twice against Aston Villa.

‘We know what Josh can give us a team.

‘When you’re an attacker, you’re trying to do the hardest things on the pitch.

‘You’re trying to create goals and score goals - these are the high-tariff moments.

‘As a consequence their consistency maybe isn’t always the same as maybe the defensive-minded player.

‘We understand this and it’s for us to try to keep working with the players to allow them to perform to the best of their levels.’