Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley provides Lee Brown injury update and reveals why stand-in Reeco Hackett deserves credit

And the Blues boss gave credit to the full-back’s stand-in at the Priestfield Stadium – Reeco Hackett – after revealing the 23-year-old was only ‘70-per-cent fit’ for the League One fixture in Kent.

Brown was expected to return to the starting XI after missing the midweek trip to Lincoln due to a one-match suspension.

Yet a niggling back injury which was once again felt in the pre-match warm-up meant the left-back wasn’t able to resume his role in the line-up – allowing Ronan Curtis to be named skipper.

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That left Cowley with a selection conundrum – with Hackett the only other realistic alternative – with the Blues already down to their defensive barebones because of injuries to Clark Robertson and Paul Downing, and Sean Raggett’s one-match ban.

The only problem was the forward was also struggling with an injury, having sat out games earlier this month with his own back complaint.

Speaking about the selection headache he faced, Cowley told BBC Solent at the final whistle at Priestfield: ‘He (Brown) has had a stiff back – and this is where we are at at the moment.

‘He trained yesterday (Friday) but wasn’t happy with it.

‘He had a fitness test this morning and we had Reeco (Hackett) as well but Reeco wasn’t fit (either)

‘We were thinking they were going the share the game, but Browny then warmed up and it wasn’t right and I can’t risk defenders, not left-footed defenders where we are at at the moment.

‘So we made the sensible decision.

‘Credit to Reeco because he was maybe 70-per-cent fit but he put the team before himself. It wasn’t easy.

‘Young Liam (Vincent) isn’t quite ready yet – he still has a lot of work to do on his fitness before then going to get the experience he needs to be able to play at this level so we didn’t really have anybody else that could play there.’

Pompey now have a week between games, with Harrogate next up in the FA Cup on Saturday.

The break will give the Blues extra time to work with their walking wounded, including Brown and Hackett – who was replaced by match-winner Michael Jacobs on 81 minutes – in the treatment room.

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