Portsmouth boss John Mousinho eager to bring back loan duo next season

Posted Saturday, April 27, 2024 by PA

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho admitted he would be keen to bring loanees Abu Kamara and Myles Peart-Harris back to Fratton Park next season.

Peart-Harris opened the scoring as the Sky Bet League One champions rounded off their campaign with a 2-0 win at Lincoln.

Paddy Lane scored the second after substitute Kamara’s solo effort saw him cut in from the right and hit the post.

The result denied Lincoln a chance to join Pompey in the second tier next season, as Barnsley and Oxford snatched the last two play-off places.

Peart-Harris arrived from Brentford in January to bolster Pompey’s midfield, while winger Kamara has scored 10 goals and played a starring role during a season-long loan from Norwich.

“Myles has had a very successful loan spell as far as we’re concerned,” Mousinho said.

“He’s started 10 games, he’s scored two goals, he’s got a league winners medal around his neck and I thought he was superb today.

“My big thing with Myles is to make sure whatever happens next, he doesn’t end up in League One because he’s much better than that. His next stage should be to try and get in the Brentford side next season.

“The same with Abu – his goal would be to try and get into the Norwich side, but if any of these players are available on loan then we’ll be knocking on the parent club’s door.”

On what his side have achieved during his first full season at the helm, Mousinho added: “It looks amazing; I look at the League One table and it does look brilliant. To do it with that sort of gap – five points to (runners-up) Derby, 10 points to (third-placed) Bolton – it’s a real achievement.

“A lot of things have obviously gone for us but I think the squad deserve every accolade.

“We’ll want to do as well as we possibly can in the Championship and the owners know that and we’ve been working in the background in terms of recruitment for next season.”

Daniel Mandroiu had a penalty saved with the game goalless as Lincoln missed out on a play-off place.

Mandroiu failed to convert after referee Sunny Singh Gill ruled that he had been fouled by Tom Lowery in the area early in the second half, with Will Norris saving after Mandroiu appeared to slip while taking it.

Imps boss Michael Skubala said: “They are a really good team and we held them at 0-0. We had to open the game up and we knew we could be hurt.

“When we knew Oxford were 2-0 up we had to risk it.

“They’re a good team – we knew it was going to be tough for us.

“Everyone’s gutted today but I think when everyone wakes up in the morning they can be very proud of themselves.”