Swindon chief's demand to ensure Brett Pitman fires on his Portsmouth return

The ex-skipper will be back at Fratton Park for the first time since his summer release when the Blues host the Robins on Tuesday.

After arriving from Ipswich in July 2017, Pitman scored 42 goals in 99 appearances for Kenny Jackett's side.

However, the fans’ favourite became surplus to requirements towards the end of his PO4 career.

He did not return to training for Pompey's play-off semi-final defeat to Oxford after the first national lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis, having been exiled to Bournemouth under-21s earlier in the season.

Pitman signed a one-year deal at Swindon after leaving the Blues but finds him in a League One relegation battle.

The Robins languish in the drop zone after suffering a 1-0 loss to Shrewsbury on Saturday.

Pitman had a couple of chances he missed but Sheridan ultimately felt the ex-Bournemouth man didn't get the service required to fire in the first period.

Now the County Ground chief has demanded a response from his troops on the south coast.

Sheridan told BBC Radio Wiltshire: ‘We had one of two opportunities, Brett had one or two headers with one in the second half that was close.

‘I do get frustrated. I watched people who played well the other night (in a 1-0 win over Wigan) and am not watching the same player on Saturday.

‘You watch a player who is on his game the other night and then four days later, you're looking at different players.

‘That's the inconsistency and why we're at the wrong end of the table.

‘We've got to pick ourselves up and be ready because we've got a game on Tuesday night.

'Brett caused them one or two problems in the second half. When you're hitting the front man, it's about the quality into the front man.

‘They have got 6ft 2inch centre-halves and sometimes it's about dropping it in short.

‘The quality into him second half when we got up the pitch getting crosses in, we caused them problems.

‘First half, everyone was rushing around, making the wrong decisions, we weren't picking things up and getting closer to people.

‘We had a great result on Tuesday night and were going against a team who were around us. We would have gone level on points if we won.

'The dressing room is quiet and, without falling out with each other, the players have got to go about how you affect games and keeping clean sheets.’

Pitman has scored five goals in 23 appearances for Swindon this campaign.