'Have to see' - Portsmouth boss on extent of Colby Bishop injury and whether striker will be signed before transfer deadline
Colby Bishop was withdrawn from Pompey’s win against West Brom with an ankle inury
Pompey will have to wait to learn the extent of the injury picked up by Colby Bishop in the second half of their win against West Brom on Saturday.
The Blues striker hobbled off the Fratton Park pitch on 70 minutes after turning his ankle. He was seen walking out of PO4 in a protective boot.
Head coach John Mousinho confirmed that was a precautionary measure, with the 29-year-old’s ankle swollen. But he said there was no point in the front man being sent for a scan until the inflammation has gone down.
That’s put’s Bishop’s involvement in Tuesday night’s game against Ipswich Town in doubt and leaves Makenzie Kirk as Pompey’s only current recognised striker for the fixture against the Tractor Boys. Fellow forward Thomas Waddingham has been absent since the end of August with a thigh injury.
John Mousinho on Colby Bishop injury
When asked about the nature of the injury suffered by the former Accrngton man, Mousinho told The News: ‘He's turned his ankle. The protective boot (he’s wearing) can be serious and can be not serious.
‘We're obviously going to take a precaution on him, but, yeah, he's tried and the ankle's swollen up, so we'll have to see how it is.
‘It's swollen up, we'll have to see what that looks like.
‘We just won't get it (an idea of the extent) until the swelling settles down. So we're not going to do anything stupid, i.e. send him for a scan tomorrow. It's just going to be a complete waste of time because he's still swollen.
‘So we'll assess him. He has done it before for us. He did it against Burton away from home, and I think missed three games or four games off the back of that that we had in pretty quick succession.
‘He did it right on the touchline, and I always remember it because it was right in front of my eyes, we brought Cass (Kusini Yengi) on after that. So, yeah, we'll have to see what it is.’
Will Pompey sign a striker before transfer deadline?
Bishop has scored just two goals in all competitions this season to date - stats that have steered the Blues in the direction of contemplating a striker signing in the remaining days of the transfer window.
Only two days of the winter window remain, though, meaning Pompey will need to make up their mind quickly whether they need to bolster a front line that is currently threadbare.
On the prospect of a striker arriving before Monday’s 7pm deadline, Mousinho said: ‘We’ll just see how Colby’s ankle settles down, that’s an important factor, I think.
‘It might be one of those where we have to make a judgement call because we may not get the full extent of the injury by Monday evening.
‘So, we’ll have to see on that. It’s a real shame because I thought Colby was absolutely brilliant today, it was probably his best performance of the season.’
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