Portsmouth keeper shares thoughts on future and what short and long-terms plan are
Pompey keeper Toby Steward has been speaking about his future
Toby Steward wants to see the job through with current loan club St Johnstone.
The young Pompey keeper has his sights firmly set on collecting a league winner’s medal at the end of the season with the Scottish Championship leaders, with the long-term aim of using his experience north of the border to secure the Blues’ No1 jersey.
That effectively rules out a January transfer window return to the Blues. Not that Pompey were considering a recall.
Toby Steward - St Johnstone’s No1
The 20-year-old has established himself as Simo Valakari’s first-choice stopper following his move in the summer, racking up 20 valuable appearances to date and helping the McDiarmid Park side sit top of the table in the process.
The Blues, meanwhile, have an already stacked goalkeeping department that includes No1 Nicolas Schmid, summer signing Josef Bursik, Ben Killip and Jordan Archer, who failed to be named in head coach John Mousinho’s 25-man squad for the first half of the season.
There’s a real possibility that the latter will leave Fratton Park this month. But that doesn’t mean an automatic recall for Steward.
He’s thriving at St Johnstone, Pompey are happy with his current situation, while their stance on him staying there for the rest of the season remains ‘unchanged’.
What Steward has said about his immediate future
‘I was told in the summer I’d be here for the whole season. And that hasn’t changed,’ Steward told The Courier ahead of his side’s game against third-placed Arbroath on Saturday.
‘I speak to the goalkeeper coach at Portsmouth all the time – they’re happy with how it’s going. Like everyone here, I have a job to do, and I want to see it through.
‘I want to be successful with this team and hopefully end it with a medal.
‘We spoke at the start of the season about the plan for me and this was it. I want to be playing games, and they want me to be playing games.
‘Portsmouth have planned my progress well. It will be down to me in the end, but the hope is to one day become the number one there.
‘Obviously, for that to happen you have to be patient and build up enough experience, so we’ll see what happens.’
Battle for Pompey’s No1 shirt
Schmid has established himself as Pompey’s first-choice keeper ever since replacing League One title-winner Will Norris in October 2024.
He’s now featured 50 times for the Blues and was handed a new contract until 2029 before Christmas.
However, the 28-year-old’s half-century appearance against Bristol City on New Year’s Day is one the Austrian will be happy to forget.
He conceded five goals against the Robins and was responsible for at least two of the goals conceded during the horror show that unfolded at Ashton Gate.
However, the former Hibs man found himself on the bench as soon as his team-mate had recovered.
Killip remains third-choice, while Archer - whose contract expires this summer - hasn’t featured for Pompey since their FA Cup third-round exit against Wycombe last January.
Academy product Steward is yet to play a competitive game for Pompey but saw his stock rise last season following an impressive loan stint at Crawley Town.
He remains highly-rated and is considered one for the future at Fratton Park.
For your next Pompey read: 'That comes after Sunday' - Ipswich to consider recall for Portsmouth loanee Conor Chaplin