What Portsmouth need to do to get Coventry loanee firing after ex-Lincoln City, Mansfield Town and Nottingham Forest man's barren Fratton start

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Pompey need to work harder at getting the best out of Tyler Walker.

And that means the striker’s new team-mates understanding the Coventry loanee’s game to get him firing at Fratton Park.

Danny Cowley has no doubt about the front man’s credentials, however, as he waits to open his Blues account.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Walker has blanked in his first five games going into tomorrow’s trip to rock-bottom Crewe after arriving as a high-profile January signing, with the Blues pushing out the boat to cover a deal until the end of the season.

Cowley feels there is work needed to make the most of the 25-year-old’s assets.

He said: ‘Tyler was a bit short of game time, so we’ve worked hard on developing him physically with the five games he’s played so far definitely helping him, along with the training.

‘He relies on that sharpness and top-end sharpness that relies on you being at your physical best.

‘It’s also just a connection.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Tyler WalkerTyler Walker
Tyler Walker

‘Because of the intricacy of his movement, he’s a boy who likes early crosses behind the defensive line.

‘He’s a boy who likes to get his hips open and make little corridor runs or out-to-in runs off the shoulder and out of the eyeline of defenders.

‘You are just trying connect the rest of the team with his movement - and that takes rehearsal and practice.

‘Like human connection it just takes time, so we’re working hard on that – we have a lot of belief in Tyler, that’s for sure.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Despite a slow start to his Pompey career, Cowley is adamant Walker has the quality to make a big impact over the remainder of the season.

After watching him score 16 goals for League One Lincoln in the first half of the 2019-20 campaign, and 26 goals in the fourth tier for Mansfield the previous term he feels his record speaks for itself.

He added: ‘Tyler is a top player. He’s someone we’ve worked with before.

‘For us, when we had him at Lincoln, he scored 16 goals in half a season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘He was the standout forward in League One in that first part of the season, and was well on the way to scoring 30 goals if Nottingham Forest hadn’t called him back.

‘For Tyler, he’s his own biggest critic but it takes time when new players come into the building, particularly the type of player he is.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can support our local team of expert Pompey writers by subscribing here for all the latest news from Fratton Park for less than 25p per week.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.