One in 12: Portsmouth boss' message to Magic Man as he struggles for goal threat

John Mousinho has backed Colby Bishop to up his Pompey strike threat.

And the Blues boss believes his side will increase their return in front of goal in all departments in the coming weeks.

Mousinho feels it’s ‘fine margins’ for the Magic Man when it comes to potency returning to his game.

Bishop has a very creditable 13 goals to his name this season, after bagging 24 finishes in his maiden Fratton Park campaign. It’s a single goal in five games for the 27-year-old, however, and just one effort from open play in the past 12 appearances.

Bishop failed from the spot last weekend against Leyton Orient and saw his first-half header flash past the post in Pompey’s best opening in the 3-0 reverse.

Mousinho feels the goals will soon be flowing, however, to help his side sort a poor run of one win in six league games.

He said: ‘There’s fine margins in games. If we take one of those chances and Colby gets himself back on a good goalscoring run then we are back in business.

‘I think the weekend was the exception, though there was fine margins in that. We could have gone in 2-1, though we probably didn’t deserve to but I still think if we went in 2-1 and Colby had scored that header the game is completely different and we maybe come out with a positive result.

‘I didn’t think we deserved that to happen at the weekend, though. I sometimes talk about fine margins. I didn’t think this was a game defined by margins, but I still think they apply if that makes sense.’

It’s not just Bishop struggling in front of goal at present with Pompey scoring four goals fron open play in their past six games - with one of them Tom Bradbury’s own goal at Cheltenham. Paddy Lane is the only player apart from Bishop to get on the scoresheet in that time, but Mousinho sees attacking threat in his side.

He said: ‘The same applies all over the pitch as to Colby. I think we have a few good players capable of scoring. Once it clicks for them, I think it will click for them properly.’