Football League World
·27 February 2023
Football League World
·27 February 2023
This season has been very challenging for Ronan Curtis compared to the success of the previous four in which the Irishman was clearly one of the best wide players in League One.
Portsmouth put together some very impressive attacking patterns to beat Cheltenham Town 4-0 on Saturday, with Curtis notching the third and his second league goal of the season.
It will be a surprise to some that the 26-year-old has not yet moved on to a Championship club and that may still occur with his contract at Fratton Park expiring in the summer.
However, Curtis feels that John Mousinho is already getting more out of him than Danny Cowley was in his time in the dugout, and he explained why in speaking to Portsmouth.co.uk.
He said: “Since the gaffer has come in he has been amazing personally for me.
“I’m now back from injury and he’s told me he knows my best position – on the left.
“I hadn’t really played there in the last eight to nine months under Cowley, but obviously if you play me on the left you know what you’re getting out of me.
“Today, the first game back, on the left and I scored.
“The gaffer has played against me a few times over the years, he always says I was a handful, which is nice, and he has fully trusted me to go and perform.
“The left is my position, that’s where I want to play.
“Kenny (Jackett) brought me in and played me on the left, that’s where I got the majority of my goals.
“Then Danny came in, put me on the left for a little bit and then all around the pitch, so it was no good for me and it was no good for my confidence, even though I don’t mind helping the team out trying to get the win.
“But naturally I am a left winger and that’s where I want to play.
“I’ve got that swagger back playing on the left, I can go down the line on my left foot and come inside and link it – and obviously can score.
“I feel good and I feel confident now, hopefully that’s something to build on.”
Curtis has tended to be at the centre of Pompey’s best times in League One since winning the fourth tier title under Paul Cook.
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His drop-off of the last year or so has been frustrating viewing for supporters who will have felt like the side have not been so far away from a play-off finish in that time.
A player of Curtis’ quality, when he is onsong, will be very hard to replace in the summer transfer window, especially with Owen Dale, Dane Scarlett and Joe Pigott set to return to their parent clubs.
Curtis does seem settled in Portsmouth, hence why he has not moved away in the past, and finishing the season with promise under Mousinho could convince the 26-year-old to stay put for at least another season to have a crack at the top six once again.