Portsmouth FC need 45-goal striker more than ever | OneFootball

If Portsmouth are to stay up in the Championship, they need the return of Colby Bishop as soon as possible.

Having stormed League One last season, Portsmouth's return to the Championship hasn't gone to plan, with John Mousinho's side picking up a meagre nine points in 14 games.

Tuesday night saw them slip further into trouble as relegation rivals Plymouth Argyle netted a late winner, leaving Pompey stranded at the bottom of the table. In truth, it was a game they could have won, but missed chances proved decisive as they were unable to convert any of their 14 shots across the 90 minutes.

If they are to mount a fightback, this conversion rate will have to be improved, as scoring under a goal a game will put heavy pressure on an already struggling defence.

However, good news could be on the way for Pompey fans with a certain out-of-action striker making large strides in his recovery from open-heart surgery.

Portsmouth have missed Colby Bishop

Since arriving from Accrington Stanley in 2022, Colby Bishop has been a key figure for the South Coast side.

In his first season, he was able to net 20 in 46 league appearances, and he followed that up with a crucial 21 goals in their promotion campaign.

But, it isn't just his goals that are important; with his link-up play often allowing Mousinho's side to play further up the pitch.

Fans had every reason to expect him to continue that form in the Championship. However, a routine pre-season heart scan revealed a serious issue, and the striker has undergone surgery that has seen him sidelined to this point.

His absence has been sorely felt on the pitch, with no other Pompey player able to resolve the goalscoring issue that has been left in his wake. Players like Mark O'Mahony and Kusini Yengi have tried to be the answer, but they just aren't natural finishers in comparison to their teammate.

Mousinho provides positive update on Bishop

As every game passes by, the desperation for a Bishop return increases and Portsmouth fans can be relatively pleased by the latest news coming out of Fratton Park.

Speaking to The News on Wednesday, the head coach said: "Colby is good, it’s still a long way to recovery. He's been back out on the grass, he’s doing a lot more technical and ball work, and we’re really looking forward to getting him back.

"I would be astounded if he doesn’t come back this season, he will be champing at the bit by the time we are ready to play him.

"It’s difficult enough sometimes to put a timescale on normal injuries. If you look at some of them, the timescale hasn’t worked out, let alone when it’s someone who’s had open-heart surgery.

"I don’t want to be too graphic, but you can probably imagine what you've got to do to the ribcage to get through to the heart, while all of that needs to heal.

"Especially with a player who is blood and thunder in terms of the way he plays, and we need him at the peak of his physicality.

"It’s a long road for Colby, but he is taking it really well."

Clearly, it will be a matter of when he is ready and not if, but when the time comes for Bishop to make an impact, you can be almost certain that he will.

The most important thing is that Bishop is healthy and returns when he is ready but Pompey must do all they can to ensure that when that moment comes, they are still within touching distance of the teams above them.

To ensure that, they must find a short-term solution to their goal-scoring woes, or risk being condemned to a return to the third tier of English football.