Portsmouth handed much-needed fitness boost ahead of Watford and Southampton showdowns
John Mousinho has alleviated fears Marlon Pack is set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines.
The Pompey skipper added his name to the injury list Mousinho rates as the worst he’s seen in management today.
But the Blues head coach is confident Pack’s injury is not a bad one - and feels he could be back in contention for a big week in his side’s season.
The Buckland boy has been struggling with a hamstring issue, which kept him out of the New Year’s defeat at Bristol City.
Pack returned to the bench against Arsenal last weekend, but the same problem kept him sidelined against Sheffield Wednesday today.
Mousinho explained the extent of the problem is not major one for the 34-year-old though, with a return on the cards against Watford on Wednesday.
Speaking to The News this evening, the Pompey boss said: ‘It’s 10 injuries now, it seems like a fair whack.
‘Marlon felt his hamstring slightly, the one he’s been struggling with at Arsenal.
‘But he travelled to the game today and he’s here, so it’s nothing too bad.
‘We are hopeful to have him back for the games next week.’
It was a far from a vintage performance from Pompey for long periods despite the 1-0 Hillsborough victory, with Mousinho believing the home side were the better outfit in the first half.
He liked what he saw from his men after the break, however, especially after the Blues got in front.
Mousinho added: ‘We came here to win the game and came away with three points. The circumstances are really difficult, and it’s a much harder place to come than people give Sheffield Wednesday credit for.
‘A lot of times this season I’ve seen sides struggle here and, to be honest, I think they put out a really impressive starting XI with Championship quality, though behind that there’s issues.
‘So for us to come here and win under the pressure we were under to win the game, that was impressive from the boys.
‘We were poor in the first half and Sheffield Wednesday were better than us, without either side creating a huge amount.
‘I don’t think we dealt with their threats well enough and were sloppy ourselves, but when we settled down in the second half you could see the quality we sometimes do possess - and the performance after the goal was excellent.’