Posh host Portsmouth at the Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday afternoon (3pm).
Peterborough United return to action on Saturday afternoon with a Sky Bet League One fixture against Portsmouth at the Weston Homes Stadium (3pm) as Darren Ferguson’s men look to build on the last fixture, a victory over Port Vale in front of the television cameras earlier this month.
Two successive postponements against Charlton Athletic and Burton Albion mean Posh are playing catch-up in Sky Bet League One and Pompey arrive in PE2 in good spirits after two successive victories following the appointment of John Mousinho at Fratton Park.
Portsmouth were 2-0 winners at Fleetwood Town in midweek despite playing for over 30 minutes with 10-men following a red card issued to Joe Morrell. The last time the two sides met at the Weston Homes Stadium in front of supporters in the league was just ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic with Ivan Toney and Dan Butler scoring the goals in a 2-0 win.
TEAM NEWS
Posh reported no fresh injury worries ahead of the game, with the squad coming through a number of training sessions since the recent postponements. Midfielder Ollie Norburn is expected to return to training on the grass next week following a long-term knee injury, but Ferguson won’t put a timescale on his return to first team football at this moment in time.
Defender Joe Tomlinson is another nearing a return to training after a hamstring injury, while centre back Kell Watts is set to miss the majority of the season with a knee injury. Portsmouth are sweating on the fitness of Ronan Curtis, who suffered an injury at Highbury. Morrell is suspended for the game.
ONE TO WATCH
Pompey completed the signing of striker Colby Bishop (pictured below) from Accrington for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2022. The forward put pen to paper on a three-year deal, with the club option of a further 12 months.
Bishop began his career with Notts County and played a handful of games before moving on to feature for Worcester, Boston and Leamington. His prolific form for the latter club included a haul of 29 goals from 36 starts during the 2018/19 National League North campaign.
That earned Bishop a move to Accrington, although he first had to work out his notice period as a primary school teacher. He excelled in a return to the professional game, however, and has hit double figures in each of his three seasons at the Crown Ground before joining Pompey, where he has gone on to continue this impressive form.
FROM THE GAFFER
“I have watched the last two games that Portsmouth have played and they have been impressive, particularly the win at Fleetwood Town in midweek. They have some good players, Marlon Pack is an excellent player in the middle of the park and they have good options. I am looking forward to the game, we all are. The players have responded to the postponements brilliantly in terms of the way they have applied themselves in training,” Darren Ferguson said.
TICKET NEWS
Tickets are available at www.theposhtickets.com and via the Weston Homes Stadium Box Office for the fixture with Portsmouth accommodated in the Deskgo Stand. They have sold around 1,300 tickets so far for the game.
POSH+
Overseas subscribers can watch the game for £10 while audio passes are available both in the UK and overseas for £2.50.
PLAYED FOR BOTH
Both Nathan Thompson and Ben Thompson (pictured below middle) have spent successful periods with Portsmouth in recent seasons – Thompson during a loan spell from Millwall and Nathan prior to his arrival at the Weston Homes Stadium. Ryan Tunnicliffe (pictured below right) is part of the Portsmouth squad and he was one of three Manchester United players that joined Posh in one go under Darren Ferguson alongside Scott Wootton and Nicky Ajose.
Among the other players that have performed for both clubs include Christian Burgess (pictured below left), Guy Whittingham, Derek Dougan, Carl Griffiths, Lloyd Isgrove, Izale McLeod and Adam Newton.
CLASSIC CONTEST
Dan Butler (pictured below) and Ivan Toney netted the goals in the last meeting between the two sides in the league in front of supporters back in March 2020. Darren Ferguson’s men ran out 2-0 winners in what proved to be the final game of the season as Covid-19 struck and the league was decided by PPG.
KIT COLOURS
Posh will be wearing the home kit for the fixture.
MATCH COVERAGE
If you can’t make the game, you can follow all of the action in a number of ways.
- Live match updates on our official Twitter feed @theposh.
- Behind the scenes coverage and updates on our official Instagram story.
- Keep up to date with minute-by-minute updates on our Live Match Centre here.
- Download the official Peterborough United app to get all of the action direct to your smartphone.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
The match referee is Bobby Madley.