Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley's defiant message as he takes stock of injury to his captain and former Rotherham ace Clark Robertson

Danny Cowley insisted he won’t be looking for excuses as he accepted news that he will be without captain Clark Robertson for the forseeable future.
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The defender saw a specialist on Wednesday to determine the seriousness of a thigh injury he suffered in training last week.

The problem saw the former Rotherham ace miss Saturday’s defeat to Cambridge United.

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He also sat out the midweek draw against Plymouth – a game which forced Cowley to go with a 3-5-2 formation and play midfielder Shaun Williams and full-back Kieron Freeman in the centre-back positions alongside Shaun Raggett.

And while the Blues head coach hasn’t disclosed exactly how long the centre-back will be absent, he stressed Robertson’s spell on the sidelines would not

mitigate Pompey’s battle to return to winning ways.

Cowley said: ‘Clark saw the specialist yesterday (Wednesday) and we're just trying to make the right decision as to the pathway for him.

'It’s an injury to the tendon of the rectus femoris muscle which is one of the four quadriceps - so he's going to need a little bit longer unfortunately.

Clark Robertson, left, with Pompey head coach Danny CowleyClark Robertson, left, with Pompey head coach Danny Cowley
Clark Robertson, left, with Pompey head coach Danny Cowley

‘It's a real loss for us as Clark has been outstanding.

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‘Since he’s arrived he's formed a really good relationship with Gavin Bazunu and Sean Raggett and he’s also our captain.

‘You're always gong to miss good players when they're injured or unavailable.

‘But this is football. It's up to us to try to find the solutions,

‘You have two choices in this moment. You either become the victim our you become the fighter – and we expect to become the fighters.’

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While Cowley took stock of being without Robertson for the time being, he revealed Connor Ogilvie (calf injury) could be back for the trip to the Valley after also sitting out the Cambridge and Plymouth games.

‘Connor has progressed nicely and we're hopeful he'll be available for the weekend,’ added Cowley.