The cruel misfortune behind Portsmouth's forgotten keeper Michael Poke

Yet for fate’s brutal intervention, however, he could well have been Andy Awford’s number one keeper from the 2014-15 campaign onwards.

The 34-year-old will never know, of course, as injury dictated he was a late non-runner in the battle with Paul Jones.

Both were recruited in the summer of 2014 by new permanent boss Awford, with Poke arriving from Torquay and Jones recruited from Crawley.

The manager repeatedly stressed he hadn’t decided who would be first choice for the League Two opener at Exeter.

Then, the day before that St James Park encounter, Poke tore his Achilles in the final training session – and from that moment never managed to dislodge Jones.

Poke, who was last month appointed Pompey’s head of Academy goalkeeping, said: ‘Going into the last week of pre-season, none of us knew who the number one was.

‘Andy Awford said he hadn’t made up his mind and was leaving it right until the last minute.

‘Then I got injured on the Friday before the first game at Exeter – which meant I was then playing catch up.

‘I had started the last friendly against Charlton, then tore my Achilles in training the day before the season started.

‘But we didn’t have chance to get another keeper in, so I was on the bench at Exeter knowing full knew I couldn’t move!

‘When I came back, Jonesie was playing well, to be fair, and I was forever playing catch up.

‘Who knows if I would have started that first game. It was still up in the air, we will never know that one. In the end it made Andy’s mind up for him.

‘The pair of us had no indication at all, we had both been doing all right in pre-season.

‘Scott Bevan was the goalkeeping coach, I’ve known him for a long time, and he told me the gaffer hadn’t made his mind up. None of us knew.’

The arrival of Paul Cook in the summer of 2015 represented another opportunity to impress for Poke.

The former Southampton keeper even started the new boss’ opening friendly – a 1-1 draw at the Hawks.

But, by the end of that month, he had joined non-league Eastleigh on loan, with it becoming permanent in January 2016.

Now he is back at Fratton Park, leaving Southampton’s coaching ranks to assists the Blues’ Academy set-up.

Poke added: ‘After a couple of seasons at Torquay as number one, it was a hard one to take, but that’s part and parcel of the position.

‘Looking back, it was a real shame, but that has gone now, I’m looking forward to coaching now.’

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