RECAP as Pigott header makes difference in uninspiring Pompey win

Just been told the Pompey team is ‘interesting’ today. Think that means their could be a young player or two involved, most likely Harry Jewitt-White.

Nick Batchem: Towler and Lane need to start over Bernard and Dale. Let them get the game time for the remainder of the season.

Mark Terry: Towler deserves his position back, he’s done little wrong when he’s played and with him being someone we OWN not LOAN, it’s criminal he’s not in the starting XI. Also play 1 of the Portsmouth kids, we need to blood them and it’s not like we have anything to play for.

Mal Ruff: Drop Tunnicliffe, Dale and Bernard.

Dave Watts: Towler and Lane must start and Bishop needs someone to help him up front.

Stephen Courtney: Play the kids.

Dave Bulbeck: Bring a few of the kids on, bench the loanees.

Seb Perkins: I don’t understand why he persists with Dale. We have Lane, our own player, develop him, play him. Not some bloke who is leaving soon.

Stephen Dore; Get Towler back in the side, we’ve bought him, he’s signed a contract, he’s a good player, he’s young and more focused on playing for Pompey unlike some of the first team players who I can’t wait to get shot of.

John Mousino has outlined his reasons for Ryley Towler’s lack of Pompey involvement.

And the Pompey boss has explained he will not favour the youngster over loanee Di’Shon Bernard or out-of-contract Clark Robertson, simply because his long-term future lies at Fratton Park.

After a hurtling start to his Blues career following his January arrival from Bristol City, Towler has had just nine minutes of football in four weeks since his half-time withdrawal against Port Vale last month.

Mousinho felt it was the right time to hand the 20-year-old a break, after a difficult afternoon against Ellis Harrison and Matty Taylor.

It’s meant three unused sub appearances and two squad omissions for him as Bernard and Roberston were favoured, with Mousinho unrepentant for using another club’s player in the Manchester United loanee at Towler’s expense.

When asked if it was right to use a loanee over one of your permanent players, Mousinho said: ‘You can take that view for all the positions with loan players playing. If you apply that logic then you don’t need any loan players at all, I just don’t buy it.

‘I’ve said to Ryley himself he’s well ahead of where we thought he would be, miles ahead of where he thought he’d be in terms of coming in from Bristol City in January. He’s way surpassed the expectations of the staff.

‘If you’d said to Ryley he was going to pick up seven or eight games, you’d have thought that was a really good return.

‘Just towards the end of the season there’s been the return of Clark Robertson, the club captain, in his position so it’s been difficult for him. Then we looked to play Di’Shon against a very specific striker in A) Jonathan Leko and B) Gatlin O’Donkor. We did that for a very real reason.

‘All of these things come into our minds when we pick a team. All of these things come into our minds when we pick a team to win a game, it doesn’t matter necessarily to us whether they are loan or permanent.’

Mousinho stressed he still sees big things on the horizon for Towler at Pompey, as he continues his football education.

He added:‘Ryley has a huge future at the football club.

‘His 45 minutes against Port Vale was the toughest he’d had all season, he came off at half-time there and hasn’t really featured since.

‘That’s fine and happens to players, it happens to older players who’ve come into the side let alone younger ones.

‘He maybe needed a bit of a break and to come out of the side, it was my responsibility to read that, protect the player and the club. Ryley will go on to have a terrific career for Portsmouth, so there’s no worries about what’s going on in the short term.

The play-off dream is effectively over.

Four successive draws have put paid to hopes of a top-six finish this season for Pompey.

But John Mousinho and his side need to give Fratton Park something to smile about going into the summer.

That will be their motivation as Accrington arrive fighting for their lives.

We’re building up to kick-off with live commentary from 3pm.