Portsmouth go into this Saturday’s home fixture with Carlisle United as League One’s remaining unbeaten team. They are one point clear at the top of the table as John Mousinho continues to get the best out of his squad.
Pompey have won eight of their dozen league games so far and boast the meanest defence in the third tier with only eight goals conceded. Ironically that is the same number of goals their top scorer Colby Bishop has bagged so far.
His current run of form has seen him grab six goals in his last seven outings, and in turn, help propel the south coast team to the top. In doing so he is gaining interest from Championship clubs, but for now, the forward is enjoying his time with Portsmouth.
From teaching children to schooling defenders, Colby Bishop has scored 32 goals in 66 games since his move from Accrington Stanley to Fratton Park. #Portsmouth pic.twitter.com/fkKTCbTM9l
— FOOTBALL NEWS🥇 (@FootbqllNews) October 18, 2023
Bishop Thriving On Pressure
For too long now Pompey has been in the lower end of the football league and knowing that this team is too big for the current league it is adds pressure, but also something that drives Bishop on.
Talking to The Athletic, and reported in Portsmouth’s The News, the 26-year-old spoke about that exact pressure. “If you sign for Portsmouth and don’t understand that they don’t want to be in this league anymore, then you’re in a different world. As soon as you come to this city, anyone you see is praying that you’ll be the people that get them out of League One.
“They deserve it and hopefully this year we can give it to them. We’ve had a great start but there’s a long way to go and what we have now means nothing compared to how many points you get at the end of the season. As a Portsmouth player, I’ve realised that you need to enjoy the pressure because it’s never going to be an easy ride here.
“There are really high highs and low lows but I would love to see this place after a promotion because the feeling that you get after winning here and the way that the fans make you feel, I can only imagine what the feeling would be like.’
Mousinho Magic
John Mousinho has been a revelation so far, and the manager is getting the best from his forward. “He breathes a lot of confidence into me. The manager’s expectation this year is simple and it’s the same for us as a group. We want to get promoted and that’s all we want.
“Anything else will seem like we’ve not reached the levels we could have because the manager breathes so much confidence into us as a group. Every game, even when we’re playing well, he knows that we have more in us in terms of the capabilities of the team.”
Writer’s View
Colby Bishop is in a purple patch right now, and as long as that continues the rest of his team will play up. Pompey are on the verge of something special this season, with Mousinho guiding his team to the top of the table and the unbeaten start should continue when they take on lowly Carlisle United at Fratton Park on Saturday. Should this rich vein of scoring form continue there could be more teams interested in the striker when the January transfer window opens.
