Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho has explained the prospect of regular football was the driving factor behind defender Ryley Towler’s move to Lincoln City.
The 23-year-old joined Pompey in January 2023 from Bristol City having impressed during a loan spell with AFC Wimbledon during the first half of the 2022/23 season. He featured regularly for the remainder of the campaign, making 20 League One appearances.
The centre-back found opportunities limited the following season and found himself largely on the fringes of the squad as Mousinho oversaw promotion to the Championship.
Towler found himself in a similar situation in the second tier, although did start five successive games between December and January, scoring in the 4-0 win over Swansea City on New Year’s Day. However, he soon found himself back out of the team.
Towler ‘Unlucky’, Says Mousinho
The former Grimsby Town loanee completed his move to another Lincolnshire club earlier today, penning a four year deal at the LNER Stadium. It’s a transfer which Mousinho has hinted was done reluctantly, although he has stated it was in the best interests of the player. Speaking to Portsmouth News, he said:
“Ryley has been a really big player over the past two-and-a-half years.
“He may not have played too much, but he was really in the League One campaign when we finished eighth and he scored some important goals.
“He was just really unlucky the following season when Conor Shaughnessy and Regan Poole came and there was Sean Raggett. They were all putting in excellent performances ahead of Ryley, but through no fault of his own found himself on the periphery.
“It was really pleasing for us last year for him to play as much as he did in the Championship. It was one of the things we spoke about at the back end of the year, where there were players ahead of him and what the best thing for him to do was.
“Ultimately, we thought the best thing for him to do was to move on and play regular games at another club.
“It’s happened to be a really good club for Ryley to join, I think he’ll thrive at Lincoln and I’m really looking forward to tracking his progress. I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on there.”
Writer’s View
With Portsmouth having secured their Championship status, it was in Towler’s best interests to explore other options. Mousinho has a number of centre-backs to call upon and it wouldn’t have been good for the player to once again have to patiently wait for an opportunity. Lincoln is an excellent choice to take the next step of his career. They harbour ambitions of reaching the League One play-offs and have built a stellar reputation as a stable League One club.
