‘Another level’: Why Colby Bishop remains key to Portsmouth boss and side’s promotion hopes after firing back against flak

Colby Bishop had added a new dimension to his Pompey game this season and remains critical to his side’s Championship ambitions.

And Blues boss John Mousinho is adamant he is in possession of one of the best strikers around, as he broke down why the Magic Man is so important to his team.

Bishop this week responded to criticism from a section of the club’s online support, stating being ‘slandered’ had made an impact on him. That led to a wave of support for the club’s top scorer, with Mousinho adding he weight to those voices as he detailed why he’s so significant to his side.

As well as the 27-year-old’s goal return, the Pompey coach pointed out how out Bishop’s pressing and hold-up play are crucial to their approach - along with his ability to occupy defenders and create space for others.

Mousinho said: ‘The first thing about Colby is he starts the press - he sets the press off really well. He also works incredibly hard and his output every game is brilliant. He’s a constant threat in terms of how he presses and harasses back fours and back threes. I think, at his best, Colby as a central outlet provides us with a real physical threat. He can beat defenders up when he’s at it.

‘He holds the ball up really well and obviously gets into the box. When he doesn’t score he’s still a threat in the box - you’ll see a lot of the time Colby occupying two centre-halves and others being free because of it.

‘His all-round game this season has definitely gone to another level. He is the focal point of our attack and we want to keep pressing on and making sure he performs at the top of his game. Even when he doesn’t score, I think he provides us with a huge amount.’

Bishop’s 13 league goals to date is ahead of his 10-goal League One return he had at a similar stage last season. The £500,000 signing from Accrington went on to bag 20 league goals and 24 finishes in all competitions. Mousinho is certain about where the front man stands among his peers at this level - and what he means to Pompey.

He added: ‘When the ball sticks with Colby we look a good side., when he gets on top of centre-halves physically I think he can be a joy to watch. Having that focal point to our attack is really, really important to us and Colby is the type of striker where we need to play to his strengths. For the most part, I think we’ve got it right this season.

‘He’s scored 13 games at the halfway stage of the season, that’s well ahead of where he was last year. I think he’s one of the best centre-forwards in the league - his goal output says that, but also everything else says that as well.

‘I’m sure if you spoke to any of the other centre-halves in the league, he’d be right at the top of the players they wouldn’t want to play against.’