Portsmouth dealt double defensive injury setback as details emerge on Bristol City loanee and £1.2m signing from Sydney FC

As was expected, both centre-backs sat out today’s Championship trip to Luton because of ankle and calf issues respectively, with head coach John Mousinho naming Regan Poole and Marlon Pack as their replacements.

But it won’t be the last game the duo will miss this term, with Matthews ruled out for the remainder of the campaign and needing surgery, and Atkinson expected to be absent for the next 6-8 weeks. There’s only nine weeks of the current 2024-25 season remaining, with the Blues having 11 games left to play.

The news will come as a huge blow for Pompey, who are already without fellow centre-halves Conor Shaughnessy and Ibane Bowat.

Their January arrivals from Sydney FC and Bristol City respectively was designed to alleviate the central defensive problems that have blighted the Blues all season. But the Fratton Park club’s luck is yet to change in that respect, with Matthews joining Bowat, Jacob Farrell, Paddy Lane and Callum Lang in being ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

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Signed for £1.2m from Sydney, Matthews has featured six times for the Blues. The 20-year-old Aussie adapted to the rigours of the Championship well and had started Pompey’s past two games in the absence of Shaughnessy. He was forced to play the remaining minutes of the win against QPR after Pompey had used all their substitutes. After the Fratton Park game, Matthews was also seen leaving the ground on crutches and wearing the protective boot.

Atkinson - who came off after the Hoops midway through the first half - also looked at home at the heart of the Blues defence, featuring 10 times in the league and playing a key role in the side’s climb up the Championship table.

Prior to his Pompey debut against Sunderland on January 5, the 26-year-old had not played for parent club Bristol City since suffering an ACL injury against Sunderland in February 2023.

The 6-8 week timeframe he’s got ahead of him means there’s a possibility the defender could still feature against Norwich (April 18), Watford (April 21), Sheffield Wednesday (April 26) and Hull (May 3).

For your next Pompey read: Neil Allen's Portsmouth player ratings against Luton