Infamous Portsmouth enigma returns to non-league after Football League comeback cut short

A former Pompey enigma has secured himself a new club after his second shot at the Football League was cut short.

Louis Dennis became something of a Fratton Park conundrum during an ill-fated 14 months on the south coast following his arrival in May 2018.

A free transfer recruit from Bromley following 22 goals in their 2017-18 National League campaign, Kenny Jackett would grant him just one league appearance, totalling eight overall.

The attacker’s sparse involvement left the Fratton faithful scratching their heads over his signing, particularly when Pompey’s boss subsequently declared Dennis as his favoured number 10 in the build up to the next campaign.

Sold to Leyton Orient after frustrating time at Portsmouth

However, he was sold to League Two Leyton Orient in August 2018, before returning to non-league with Bromley.

Dennis helped them reach the Football League for the first time in their history when they beat Solihull Moors in a penalty shoot-out in the National League final at Wembley in May 2024.

Yet his Football League comeback would be short-lived, with Bromley releasing the 32-year-old at the end of last season.

Now he has dropped two divisions after signing a two-year deal with National South side Torquay.

Heartbreakingly, the Gulls missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference behind Truro City in 2024-25, before then losing out in the play-offs.

Yet they have snapped up Dennis to spearhead their latest attempt to return to the National League, becoming manager Paul Wotton’s second new signing.

‘I’ll try to get the crowds off their seats’

He told Torquay’s official website: ‘I am really excited for the upcoming season. Lots of things attracted me to Torquay. I have been fortunate enough to play against Torquay and I remember coming down here and it has always been a fantastic atmosphere. And that’s driven by great support.

‘That’s exciting for a player. When you get here and you see the size of the club, when you see that it’s not a National League South club. Yes it has been through some tough times but it’s all about leaving that in the past and getting Torquay back to where it should be.

‘Speaking to the manager, the ambition that he has shown, it really aligns with what I want. I am a forward player, I love to get on the ball and try to be creative. I’ll try to get the crowd off their seats and through my career I have always tried to bring the best out of people around me, as a link up player.

‘Different teams have different styles. It’s all about learning to adapt. Last season for example, and the last four seasons, I have played particular roles – probably more off the striker.

;The style of play here might be slightly different to what I have been used to – so it’s all about adapting. But I just know that, on the pitch, you want to get on the ball, you want to make things happen, and then different wingers, strikers, midfielders – you want to link that all together.’

Dennis made 20 appearances for Bromley last season, including 20 League Two starts, and registered twice as they finished a credible 11th place in their first Football League season.

Joined Portsmouth seven years ago

It was seven years ago when he became Pompey’s second signing of the summer, following the acquisition of Ronan Curtis from Derry.

Having come to Jackett’s attention following 47 goals in 157 outings for Bromley, he was soon joined at Fratton Park by Craig MacGillivray, Tom Naylor and Lee Brown during a busy transfer window at the League One club.

However, over the next 14 months, Dennis’ only League One outing was at Oxford United in January 2019, when he came off the bench to cross for Brett Pitman to net with an acrobatic finish in a 2-1 defeat.

Otherwise, Dennis was restricted to cup outings, although he scored in a 2-0 victory at Southend in the Checkatrade Trophy in January 2019, although never made the squad for the final against Sunderland.

In the 2019 pre-season, he netted twice in the 11-0 hammering of Irish side UCD in a friendly - then was sold to Orient the following month.

During two seasons with the League Two club, Dennis scored five times in 49 appearances, before returning to Bromley on a free transfer in August 2021.

Now, after his brief Football League return, he’s bidding to put Torquay back on the pathway to success after some bleak years.

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