The former Portsmouth duo doing their best to inflict pain on old club at Derby County as Championship relegation battle heats up
Two former Pompey favourites are doing their best to inflict pain on their old club between now and the end of the season.
The battle for Championship survival took a new twist over the weekend as Pompey fell to a second-successive defeat in a matter of days. Following an impressive win against Leeds, a surprise 2-1 home loss against Plymouth was then backed up by late heartbreak against Preston on Saturday.
The double disappointment has subsequently seen John Mourinho's men dragged back into the relegation dogfight at the foot of the table, with the Blues sitting just four points above the bottom three heading into the international break.
And the situation hasn’t been helped by a Derby side that has picked up nine points from their past three games and clawied their back into the picture for survival - all with help from Marcuss Harness and Matt Clarke.
Indeed, the former played an influential role in Saturday’s relegation ‘six-pointer’ against bottom-of-the-table Plymouth, with the Ipswich loanee netting a double at Home Park - including the 88th-minute winner to secure the victory.
His late strike represented the 29-year-old’s third goal in two games - having opened the scoring in an impressive 2-0 win against high-flying Coventry less than four days prior.
Clarke also appeared on the scoresheet against the Sky Blues, as the Rams ended an outstanding run of five successive wins for Frank Lampard’s play-off-chasing side.
The three consecutive triumphs secured by the Rams makes good reading for Derby and new boss John Eustace, who now sit one point behind Cardiff in 22nd and four points behind Pompey in 17th.
Harness has impressed in recent weeks, amassing four goal contributions along with five starts in the head coach’s opening six games in charge following his Pride Park appointment last month.
The former Pompey winger has totalled 34 appearances and netted four goals in all competitions during his season-long loan from the Tractor Boys.
The 29-year-old was joined at Pride Park by Clarke in January as the central defender penned a short-term deal to return to Derby from Middlesborough.
Since then, the League Two title winner with the Blues has helped shore up the Rams’ backline with just 10 goals conceded during his eight appearances to date.
Derby make the trip to relegation rivals Pompey in April
The one-time Fratton duo are due to return to PO4 next month when Eustace’s side make the visit to the south coast in what will prove to be a fascinating contest as the race for survival approaches its finale.
Clarke is yet to taste Fratton Park as an opposition player since his departure in 2019, when he joined Brighton for an undisclosed fee. He, however, scored against Mousinho’s men for Middlesbrough in August during a 2-2 draw at the Riverside Stadium.
Harness has faced his former side on three occasions since his exit in 2022 and most recently appeared in the Rams’ side which dismantled the Blues 4-0 in December.
The duo will be looking to inflict further pain on their former club as the battle for safety heats up with eight games remaining in Championship campaign.