'Major set-backs': Portsmouth boss' frustration as attacker's six-and-a-half month absence continues
The Australian has featured 10 times since the Blues signed him from the A-League in January 2025
It has been six-and-a-half months - but John Mousinho is still unable to pinpoint when Pompey’s forgotten striker will return.
When Thomas Waddingham tore his thigh during a September training session ahead of the south-coast derby at St Mary’s, he was expected to be absent for up to 12 weeks. He hasn’t featured since.
According to Mousinho, it remains the same injury, yet ‘major set-backs’ have dogged the highly-regarded Australian during his lengthy rehabilitation.
The 20-year-old has still to return to full training and, with eight matches remaining, time is rapidly running out for the attacker to lend a hand to the Blues’ relegation scrap.
And considering Pompey’s wretched goal-scoring problems, Mousinho would love to have Waddingham as a squad option over the campaign’s six-week finale.
‘He is still struggling a bit’
The head coach told The News: ‘With Tom we are essentially being very, very patient. We’re not putting a timescale on it, he is still struggling a bit with his quad.
‘I don’t know if he’ll be back this season, hopefully he will, but we’re not sure. It’s a delicate one if and when he comes back this year.
‘He’s had some set-backs, some major set-backs, it’s still the same injury. First and foremost, we’re being very, very cautious with him, trying to build him up slowly.
‘We did that at the start of last summer because he had been out for a while. Then he had a full pre-season, played in pretty much every pre-season game, he made four league appearances at the start of the season as well, he’d had a good build up to that.
‘There’s no right or wrong way essentially, you can give somebody a very, very slow build up or just chuck them straight into the deep end.
‘I want Tom back, I want him around the place, he was a very good performer in pre-season and scored on his debut last season.’
10 games and one goal for Pompey
Since arriving from Brisbane Roar in January 2025, Waddingham has featured just 10 times after scoring on his debut at West Brom.
The youngster enjoyed an encouraging pre-season in the summer of 2025 ahead of his first full season in the Championship, netting four times.
He subsequently appeared off the bench in all four of the Blues’ opening Championship fixtures, while started against Reading in the Carabao Cup.
Waddingham had also been pencilled in to keep his place in Mousinho’s squad for the September 2025 trip to Southampton, however a thigh injury during the build-up ruled him out.
He has now missed the Blues’ last 35 matches and, should he return in time to feature again this season, Mousinho must agonise whether it’s worth the risk of throwing in him and potentially aggravating his injury.
‘We have to do the best for the player’
He added: ‘Shocks is a really good example, especially if you look at the contrasting injuries of this year and last year.
‘Last year he had to go straight in at the deep and played and got injured. This year, he had a very, very slow introduction back into the side - and unfortunately got injured as well.
‘I don't think there’s anything that’s right or wrong, we just have to try to do the best for the player.’
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