RECAP as Portsmouth come from behind yet again with late, late winner to stay top

This is perhaps a tougher test tonight than many people are anticpiating. Wycombe arrive at Fratton Park in fine form. The Chairboys have win four of their last five in league and lost one in seven.

John Mousinho believes brighter days lie ahead for Gavin Whyte after his eye-catching cameo in the impressive Wigan victory.

And the Pompey boss has given an insight into the untold story behind the marquee summer signing’s slow start to life at Fratton Park.

Expectations were high when the Northern Ireland international’s signature was captured, after his exit from Championship Cardiff.

Whyte’s form has yet to spark, however, but there was a tantalising glimpse of what could be to come, after his second-half introduction at the DW Stadium.

The 27-year-old produced a number of classy touches and driving runs, with one near-post effort saved by Latics keeper Sam Tickle.

Mousinho gave an honest assessment of his former Oxford team-mate, while looking forward to what’s on the horizon.

He said: ‘I spoke to Gavin and said “that’s better, that’s more like it and that’s the sharpness we need”.

‘That’s the sharpness I know Gavin can produce having played with him and watched him over a number of years.

‘We’re not hiding behind anything, we feel we haven’t quite seen that yet.

‘It’s a really good place to be in some ways, because we know there’s more to come - but we also have to get more out of him.

‘It was a really good step in the right direction for Gav and he looked really sharp.

‘The only thing needed from him was a goal.’

Mousinho highlighted the factors Pompey fans may not have seen behind Whyte’s form to date, after a summer in which he became father and searched for a new club after his Cardiff release.

That led to a lot of movement between Wales, Northern Ireland and England, along with the new demands of parenthood on top of his Fratton move.

Mousinho added: ‘There’s always context.

‘As fans you see what goes on when they are on the pitch, but there’s a huge amount which goes on for these guys.

‘With Gavin, he’s come over after moving from Cardiff back to Belfast in the summer because he didn’t know what club he was going to sign for.

‘He had a young child in August and that’s a tremendous amount of upheaval, so sometimes it takes a bit of time to settle.

‘Obviously, the quicker it happens the better but all players are individuals and we have to treat them as such.

‘I know with two children myself it can be a tough one as a professional footballer.

‘Unfortunately, you have to leave your wife to do the nightshifts and all that stuff plays a part in it. It’s up to use to be aware of these things.’

Pompey will wait until the last minute for Marlon Pack to prove his fitness for tomorrow night’s visit of Wycombe.

The Blues skipper is nursing an ankle injury he picked up during Saturday’s 2-1 win at Wigan.

Pack was withdrawn from the action at the DW stadium just after the hour mark following a challenge from Charlie Wyke that subsequently saw the Latics striker sent off by referee Will Finnie.

Speaking ahead of the game against Wycombe, John Mousinho said the 32-year-old will be determined to be involved as the Blues look to maintain their place at the top of League One.

Yet the Pompey head coach conceded it was ‘touch and go’ whether the midfielder would be involved.

Mousinho told The News: ‘Marlon’s okay. He took a bit of a knock on Saturday. He tried to play on but I think it was a bit too much for him in the end.

‘I think the full force of Charlie Wyke coming down on you from a challenge that was ultimately a red card saw Marlon come off relatively early.

‘He’s touch and go at the moment. We’ll put him out there on the grass tomorrow and give him a fitness test and see if he’s ready. If he’s good to go, we’ll play him.

‘He’s the sort of character that will want to get through it, we probably all saw that on Saturday.

‘We’re keen to get him back and it’s going to be a late fitness test tomorrow before we make a decision.’

Pack has started all 10 of Pompey’s league games to date as he proves to be a key figure in the Blues’ promotion push.

A potential absence could open the door for Ben Stevenson to step up, with the holding midfielder yet to feature in League One this term following his summer arrival from Forest Green Rovers.

However, Mousinho was hopeful that Pack would pull through.

He added: ‘Marlon’s obviously taken a knock to the ankle, but it’s one of those, when it’s strapped up, sometimes they can be quite stable.

‘It might settled down over the next 24 hours, so we’ll have to see.’

Pompey aim to march on in League One tonight as they return to Fratton Park.

Wycombe provide the opposition, as the in-form Chairboys arrive on a decent run of form.

Matt Bloomfield’s side have won four of their past five outings in the league, with one loss in seven in League One.

John Mousinho’s side are out to cement their place at the top the table, however, and extend their unbeaten run in the league to 22 games.

We’ll be building up to kick off with all the talking points, team news and video from Fratton.

Then it’s live kick-by-kick commentary when the action gets underway at 7.45pm.