Fresh blow for controversial 'not fit enough' ex-Portsmouth and Charlton man - but Fratton Park reunion still on the cards

Jay Mingi has suffered yet another set-back during a season in which he has already been blasted for being ‘not fit enough or robust enough to play’.

Regardless, the controversial midfielder-cum-defender could well be locking horns with former club Pompey in the Championship next season.

Mingi has featured just 11 times since Stockport paid an undisclosed fee to land him from Colchester last summer.

Blighted by injury and unavailability, in January boss Dave Challinor decided to remove the 24-year-old from first-team duty to focus on his fitness.

After undergoing ‘effectively a pre-season’, Mingi returned to duty in April following a three-month absence - yet his comeback would last just three matches.

Stockport bidding for a Championship spot

He has now missed their last three games, including the League One play-off semi-final first leg against Leyton Orient on Saturday, which finished with a 2-2 draw.

With the tie delicately poised, Stockport tonight host the second leg (8pm). It remains to be seen whether Mingi is once again overlooked for playing duty.

Nonetheless, former Pompey triallist Corey Addai could start in goal, while last season’s League One title-winner Owen Moxon is bidding to keep his place in the centre of midfield.

At least it may still be a happy ending for Mingi, who turned down a new three-year deal with Pompey in the summer of 2023 in favour of pursuing his career elsewhere.

Ex-Portsmouth man linked with Birmingham, West Brom and Blackburn

According to Mingi’s agent in a previous interview with The News, the Blues turned down three bids from three League One clubs, including Charlton, for the midfielder in January 2023.

He had also been linked with Birmingham, West Brom and Blackburn - but ended up at League Two Colchester.

Mingi made 29 appearances and scored once during two seasons at Fratton Park, having been snapped up by Danny Cowley in September 2021 following a successful trial.

Yet there were always persistent injury problems during his time on the south coast for a player who clearly possessed talent.

While with Colchester, he was converted into a right-sided centre-back or right-back and impressed watching scouts, including Stockport, where he moved in May 2024.

‘He’s not fit enough or robust enough to play for Stockport’

However, in an interview with the Manchester Evening News in February, boss Challinor said: ‘Jay has an ongoing fitness issue which we're working on with him. He was close to leaving on loan in January which didn't happen.

‘At the moment, he's not fit enough or robust enough to play in a Stockport County team.

‘We'll manage the issue he does have, but we need to get him robust enough to play regularly at the level we know he can.

‘We're effectively starting his pre-season next week, with the potential for him to be involved at the end of the season.

‘He has more tests next week and we'll see how he gets through those, with hopefully no reaction to those tests.

‘But at the moment, it's about him working hard, and us making him robust enough - in order for him to provide what we need from him.’

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