Football Season Guide

There is a real sense of opportunity on the South Coast ahead of the new season. With it comes increased pressure as Portsmouth look to mount a concerted promotion challenge. It’s a big ask for rookie boss John Mousinho, who replaced Danny Cowley back in January. He was unable to turn the ship around, failing to mount a late challenge for the play-offs but there were some encouraging signs. It has also given him six months to get a handle on the task in hand and he has been busy this summer; shipping out the dead wood and strengthening his squad for an expected challenge for automatic promotion. League One has lost a couple of giants in Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday whilst two of the three sides relegated from the Championship are in a mess. Will Norris has signed a permanent deal with Pompey having relied on loan goalkeepers for the past two seasons. Versatile defender Regan Poole had an outstanding season with Lincoln City and was linked with Championship clubs. Gavin Whyte played in the Championship with Cardiff City last season and brings plenty of creativity. Colby Bishop bagged 20 goals last season and the striker will be integral to their promotion hopes. He will be looking to form a partnership with one of a pair of untested new additions in Christian Saydee and Kusini Yengi. Mousinho appears to have done his business early this summer and they will need to hit the ground running at the start of the new campaign. Fans will be demanding promotion and the pressure will be dialled up to eleven.