Portsmouth Wembley winner linked with surprise Football League return
The midfielder made 30 appearances for Pompey before his release in July 2020
A former Pompey player has been linked with a surprise Football League return - hours following his exit from a non-league club.
Adam May left Forest Green Rovers by mutual consent on Monday, having featured for just 16 minutes this season.
Under Robbie Savage, Rovers are presently fourth in the National League, albeit just one point off top in a congested promotion race.
However, May has long been out of favour, with his sole outing arriving off the bench in a 2-2 draw at Solihull Moors on the opening day of the campaign.
It’s in stark contrast to last season, when the central midfielder made 49 appearances and scored twice as they lost in the play-offs under then-boss Steve Cotterill.
Now the 27-year-old, who came through the Fratton Park ranks to feature 30 times for the Blues, is a free agent after negotiating his release from Forest Green.
Reported Cheltenham target
And the central midfielder is already a reported target for Cheltenham - the latest club of former Pompey manager Cotterill.
According to the Stroud Times, other Football League sides are also in the running to snap up May, whose last competitive start was in May against Southend.
And that would potentially mark a return to that level, having been released by Cambridge United in the summer of 2024 following four seasons at the Abbey Stadium.
‘The 27-year-old went on to make 49 appearances for Rovers across the 2024-25 season, scoring two goals and contributing four assists that season.
‘The club wishes Adam the very best for the next chapter in his career.’
Pompey Academy graduate
May emerged through Pompey’s Academy to total 30 appearances, before being released by Kenny Jackett in the summer of 2020.
He had been introduced into Pompey’s first-team by caretaker boss Gary Waddock in April 2015, when he came off the bench against Bury aged 17 years, four months and 13 days.
However, the midfielder's final Pompey outing arrived in February 2019 against QPR in an FA Cup replay, before he faded from the first-team picture.
Indeed, during his final two Fratton Park seasons, he featured just five times for the Blues, instead embarking on loans at Aldershot, Swindon and Boreham Wood.
May was a member of the 2019 Checkatrade Trophy-winning squad against Sunderland, although was an unused substitute for the final, despite starting four of the matches in the march to Wembley.
Unsurprisingly, he was released in the summer of 2020 after failing to make an appearance in the 2019-20 campaign.
The midfielder went on to join Cambridge in September 2020, where he won promotion and totalled 146 appearances, while also had a lengthy spell on the sidelines following a cruciate knee ligament injury.
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