Portsmouth striker linked with Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers joins elite list on emotional night

But the hitman is staying tight-lipped about his target for the season after joining an elite Pompey list.

Bishop returned to his old stomping ground against Accrington and helped condemn them to a 3-1 defeat, which keeps them in the relegation mire.

It was an emotional night for the 26-year-old, who moved to Fratton Park from the Crown Ground for £500,000 in the summer.

Pompey held off interest from Blackpool to land their man, who has since been linked with Blackburn after his goal-laden campaign.

Bishop well-taken volley nine minutes from time was applauded by the home crowd, and he was given a warm ovation when withdrawn four minutes later.

His 20th goal sees him become just the fifth Pompey player in 30 years to hit that landmark - following in the footsteps of Guy Whittingham, Gerry Creaney, Svetoslav Todorov and Brett Pitman.

And with 10 games remaining, there’s a chance for that total to significantly grow.

Bishop said: ‘It’s the total you want to get to as a striker and it’s really pleasing.

‘Hopefully I can now get a few more to add to it now, though I won’t say how many. I think I’ll go with the flow from here.

‘I’m not sure I can put myself in the same boat as those people who’ve scored 20 goals here in the past, but it’s obviously amazing to score 20 goals for a club like this.

‘I’ve scored 30-odd goals in a season at Leamington, but my best in league football is 15 or 16.

‘It feels fitting but strange to do it here.

‘When you’ve been somewhere and you then come back and score, there’s mixed emotions.

‘I obviously want Accrington to do well and they are having a tough time at the bottom of the league at the moment.

‘You’re really happy to score, but I obviously want them to do well, too.

‘I wouldn’t celebrate in front of those fans - they’ve been amazing to me for years.

‘But it made me feel very good to get the reaction I did from them.’

Pompey, as ever, were given a stern test of their credentials by an Accrinton side who played for 80 minutes with 10 men.

Bishop expected nothing less from the club he spent three years, after moving into league footbal in 2019.

He added: ‘You’re never going to come here and get an easy game.

‘I knew that from when I played here.

‘So I came here expecting a tough game, even when they went down to 10 men.

‘They are a tough team and it’s a tough atmosphere, but all that matters is we got the three points.’