Portsmouth selection D-day for Brett Pitman and Lee Brown in battle to face Sunderland

It’s selection D-day for Brett Pitman and Lee Brown in their battle to save Pompey’s Championship dream.
It's selection D-Day for injured pair Lee Brown, left, and Brett Pitman  Picture: Joe PeplerIt's selection D-Day for injured pair Lee Brown, left, and Brett Pitman  Picture: Joe Pepler
It's selection D-Day for injured pair Lee Brown, left, and Brett Pitman Picture: Joe Pepler

Kenny Jackett will rule the pair out off Thursday night’s play-off semi-final should they be unable to prove their fitness in this morning’s training session.

Pitman (hamstring) and Brown (Achilles) missed Saturday’s 1-0 first-leg defeat at Sunderland.

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With Jackett having no intention of making a late call on the day of Black Cats clash, he will instead gauge their availability from today’s session.

And Pompey’s boss is prepared to implement other options should neither convince.

Jackett said: ‘Brett and Lee were running outside yesterday – the acid test as to whether they make it or not is today.

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‘They will be in around 8.30am, so we’ll see. We’ll build them up and then get into full training to see if they are okay.

It's selection D-Day for injured pair Lee Brown, left, and Brett Pitman  Picture: Joe PeplerIt's selection D-Day for injured pair Lee Brown, left, and Brett Pitman  Picture: Joe Pepler
It's selection D-Day for injured pair Lee Brown, left, and Brett Pitman Picture: Joe Pepler

‘Hopefully they can both train and get themselves up for Thursday evening.

‘I won’t leave either them later than today, I just want to organise the team.

‘Sometimes, in certain situations, you wait until the morning of the game – but that won’t happen in either of these cases.

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‘If they come through training, I think they’ll be okay, both of them are experienced enough and we’ll know if they are capable.

‘It’s hard to read. Is it looking yes or is it looking no? It’s really difficult to tell. Until they go flat out, you don’t know.

‘We are hopeful, but we’ll see today. If you are looking for a clue from me, I haven’t got much of one.’

Anton Walkes is on stand-by to retain the left-back role should Brown be declared unable to feature.

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Brown had failed a fitness test on Saturday morning after travelling with the squad to Sunderland.

As for Pitman, a scan following training on Thursday highlighted a small tear in his hamstring.

Now the skipper and 13-goal talisman is fighting to return for the Fratton Park semi-final decider.

Jackett added: ‘With Lee, he’s been feeling it for a matter of weeks, now he’s had enough time off it hopefully it’s a bit better.

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‘He felt it Friday and Saturday, which surprised us really, we thought he would be okay, but Achilles are a law unto themselves, they are very painful, particularly on hard ground.

‘Brett has a very small tear in his hamstring, a minor one. He has been nursing it for a little while.

‘If they cannot train this morning they will be out of my mind for Thursday.’