How will Pompey’s positive COVID-19 tests affect their promotion push?

Portsmouth’s race for promotion to the Championship has been put on hold as the club announced that five of the players and backroom staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

As a result, their next two games against Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers have been postponed. Jack Whatmough fell ill just before Pompey’s clash with Hull City last Friday, with the defender subsequently testing positive for the virus. Those at the club who have been affected by the virus are now self-isolating.

This news comes at a difficult time of the season for Pompey and has therefore halted their journey to the Championship. They currently sit at the top of the Sky Bet League One table with 35 points, with recent wins against fellow promotion favourites Hull City and Peterborough United. Kenny Jackett’s side are unbeaten in four games and were ready to continue their charge at the top over the festive period.

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Despite their somewhat shaky start to the season, where it took them four attempts to register their first win in the league, Pompey have shown consistent progress and are looking like a comfortable top six side. Recent seasons have seen them narrowly missing out on promotion success, with last season’s poor display in the semi-finals against Oxford United being a bitter blow. There is a sense that Pompey have to secure their place in the Championship next season, especially with the quality of players within their squad.

Due to the pandemic the start of the EFL leagues came later than usual, with them commencing in September instead of the beginning of August. This has therefore created more fixture congestion throughout the rest of the campaign and with games being postponed due to teams having COVID-19 outbreaks, the situation becomes even harder.

For Pompey, their promotion fate will all depend on the overall fitness and depth of their squad. The South coast side could very soon find themselves playing every Saturday and Tuesday to fit in their league fixtures, with potential cup runs coming on top of that. The new positive tests at the club would have been very difficult to prevent, especially with Portsmouth currently being under Tier 4 restrictions due to high levels of infection. However, it now makes their season even more challenging.

They will have to rely on their key players to pull them through these tough next few weeks. John Marquis’ 10 goals this season make him the club’s top goalscorer in all competitions, with Marcus Harness, Tom Naylor and Ronan Curtis following behind with six each. Pompey have only conceded 15 goals in the league this season after 19 games, which means they have the best defence in the division alongside Lincoln City. It is clear that both their defence and attack have proven successful so far. It is now just a case of them continuing their impressive form for the rest of the season, but they will now have to overcome this obstacle.

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The new dates for the Swindon and Bristol Rovers games have not been set yet but it is unlikely they will be soon as Pompey already have eight games scheduled for January, with meetings against Peterborough, Hull City, Lincoln City and Charlton being the most notable fixtures. You could argue that Pompey’s success in these games could define their season, especially with all the new fixture congestion.

The South coast side have big expectations for this season, and the latest positive tests have certainly thrown a spanner in the works. As long as the squad remains relatively injury-free, they certainly stand a very good chance of success. It is now up to Kenny Jackett and his squad to overcome any new obstacles the season may produce and give the city what they have for so long been desperate for, promotion to the Championship.

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