'Luxury': Portsmouth boss details protection plan for returning favourite after injury-ravaged two years
The former Leeds man has missed the last nine matches for John Mousinho’s team
John Mousinho believes his centre-half ‘luxury’ ensures Pompey no longer need to gamble on the fitness of Conor Shaughnessy.
Although the head coach is adamant the fit-again Irishman is ready to return to his first-team - starting at Blackburn.
That fresh set-back in an injury-ravaged two seasons arrived just four matches into his latest comeback, having previously missed three months with a hamstring tear.
In the former Leeds man’s absence, Regan Poole and Connor Ogilvie have shone in a new-look central defensive partnership, backed up by Ibane Bowat and Madiodio Dia from the bench.
With Hayden Matthews also recently returning from an ankle injury, suddenly Mousinho has six available centre-halves at his disposal - and no urgency to throw Shaughnessy back into the action.
‘I feel we’ve never rushed him back anyway’
The Blues’ head coach told The News: ‘We definitely have the luxury of not having to throw Shocks back in.
‘Maybe previously we’ve not been blessed with options at centre-half, but, to be honest, I don't think we’ve rushed him back in when he did return this season.
‘When he came back initially, he played 27 minutes against Charlton, then 62 minutes against Bristol City and Arsenal and then built up to that full 90 minutes against Sheffield Wednesday. So I never feel we’ve rushed him back anyway.
‘With Shocks, we will go game-by-game and do what we think is the best thing. We’ll take the merits of each game. He is ready to play, he’s ready to start - and we’ll go from there.
‘We have six fit centre-backs - and at times this year we’ve had one. Now, considering Connor Ogilvie as a centre-back, there are quite a few options.
‘It’s one of the reasons we wanted to strengthen in that department in January. We wanted to bring two in because of the injury issues we’ve had and the injury issues the boys playing have had as well.’
‘I didn't anticipate Connor Ogilvie making that switch, but I always wanted to operate with five centre-backs because we’ve had so many injury issues. The fact we have brought players in has paid dividends so far because we now have a bit of cover.’
Since Ogilvie was switched from left-back to the centre of defence for January’s 1-1 draw at Watford, he has partnered Poole in eight of Pompey’s last nine games.
It has been an impressive pairing thrown together out of necessity - yet now fully warranting their places in Mousinho’s team.
And with Bowat, Dia and Matthews named on the bench in last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Hull, plus Shaughnessy’s return, Mousinho is certainly now well-stocked in the position.
‘They’ve been exceptional’
He added: ‘Connor (Ogilvie) and Regan have been excellent on the ball and off the ball, very, very solid. In the past 6-8 weeks, I haven't had to worry about the pair of them a huge amount, not at all to be honest.
‘I would say maybe the first time I could have been critical was the first goal against Wrexham.
‘Those two formed that partnership at Watford and then West Brom, they’ve had that partnership ever since. Since then, they’ve been exceptional.’
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