'Come back stronger' - Portsmouth keeper Nicolas Schmid posts 16-word message on Instagram following injury picked up against Southampton that angered John Mousinho
Pompey keeper Nicolas Schmid has been posting on Instagram following his substitution because of injury against Southampton on Sunday
Nicolas Schmid has teased a potential period on the Pompey sidelines.
The goalkeeper took to social media on Monday night to thank well-wishers for their messages of support following his early withdrawal from Sunday’s south-coast derby against Southampton with a hand injury.
The Austrian was substituted on 24 minutes - not long after colliding with Blues team-mate Conor Ogilvie, who was pushed into the onrushing Schmid by Saints winger Tom Fellows as all three looked to deal with a long ball forward down the hosts’ right flank.
The 28-year-old took his place in the Pompey dugout for the rest of the game waering a cast, before head coach John Mousinho confirmed in his post-match interviews that a trip to the hospital would be required to determine the full extent of the injury suffered.
A fracture in his right hand was the initial fear - something which the Blues are yet to provide a follow up on.
Schmid himself didn’t go into any detail when posting on Instagram. But he implied that he would be absent for an as yet undetermined period of time as he focuses on his ‘recovery’.
What Pompey keeper Nicolas Schmid posted on Instagram
Reaching out to his near 8,000 followers on Instagram, the Pompey No1 wrote: ‘Thank you for all your messages. Now it’s time for recovery, but I’ll come back stronger.’
The message was accompanied by a strong arm emoji. Meanwhile, Fratton Park team-mates Josh Murphy and Ibane Bowat are among those who have reacted to the post.
John Mousinho left angered by key incident in south-coast derby
Schmid has firmly established himself as Pompey’s first-choice keeper, following his move from BW Linz in the summer of 2024.
He dislodged former No1 and League One title-winner Will Norris at the beginning of October and went on to record eight clean sheets in 35 Championship appearances last term as John Mousinho’s side retained their second-tier status with games to spare.
Like Ogilvie, his importance to the team is well-known, with the shot-stopper starting all of Pompey’s league games this season to date.
It was, therefore, understandable why Mousinho was irate with the incident that led to both players having to be substituted during the stalemate at St Mary’s.
When asked about the collision by Sky Sports, the Blues boss said: ‘Yeah, a real blow. I thought it was a really, really poor challenge.
‘It doesn't look like a huge amount, but everybody in the stadium can see that the goalkeeper's coming out, particularly the Southampton player.
‘He decides to push Connor Ogilvie into the goalkeeper, and I've got two players that are injured and one to go to hospital.
‘So, I thought (it was) a really, really poor challenge and poorly dealt with.
‘We've got a significant neck injury for Connor Ogilvie and a possible fracture for Nico Schmidt.
‘So, in a challenge that is just really obvious, (it) can be avoided. The Southampton player just pushes Connor Ogilvie into Nico Schmid. There's no need for it, but nothing comes of it. So, you can probably see I was clearly upset by that. And not the consequence of it, because I didn't know at the time. I was very upset at the time about the challenge.’
Pompey’s goalkeeping options if Schmid is injured
Schmid was replaced in goal by Ben Killip for the remainder of the game against Southampton. The former Barnsley keeper will now be in a battle with summer signing Josef Bursik for the right to start, if his injury is as bad as first feared.
It’s unlikely fellow keeper Jordan Archer will come into the reckoning, after he was omitted from the 25-man squad list submitted to the EFL following the closure of the transfer window.
Pompey welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Fratton Park on Saturday. The Blues then have games against Ipswich (A), Watford (H), Middlesbrough (H) before the next international break.