Football Season Review

Portsmouth boss Steve Cotterill worked a minor miracle this season to ensure the south coast club avoided relegation into the third tier which would have almost certainly killed the club financially. Cotterill regularly had a first team squad of just 14-15 players at his disposal this term but to their credit they pulled off a string of fine results in the latter stages off the season, even flirting with the possibility of a late playoff push before fading. The experience of strikers David Nugent and Dave Kitson proved invaluable over the course of the season and Pompey were fortunate that the pair were able to stay relatively clear from injuries and suspension. However, with just three or four substitutes on the bench at most league games it was always going to put pressure on the younger players in the squad to perform. It was ‘sink or swim’ time for the likes of Joel Ward and Nadir Ciftci and fortunately they acclimatised to their Championship surroundings with surprising ease. Pompey are on the brink of a takeover from a Russian sporting consortium in readiness for next season which could provide fresh capital for Cotterill to build a genuine squad capable of a sustained playoff push.

Player of the Season: Ritchie De Laet