Portsmouth Football Club News

Jermaine Pennant is poised to make his Pompey debut in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round clash with Swansea. The 26-year-old took part in his first training session with the Blues on Thursday. Pennant laughed and joked with his new team-mates before getting down to the business of his first Pompey workout. And there was a sign of things to come as he whipped in crosses for his old Liverpool pal Peter Crouch. The winger – who arrived on loan from Liverpool on Tuesday – could be joined in the Blues midfield against Swansea by Richard Hughes, who has recovered from groin and knee injuries. Tony Adams is pleased to see more depth in his midfield, after illness and injury forced him to field players out of position in the last couple of games. Younes Kaboul, Marc Wilson and Hermann Hreidarsson have all been deployed in midfield recently – despite all being defenders. But Adams has been delighted to watch those players step up to the plate and give their all for the cause. “I’ve got a good group of players here,” said the Blues boss. “We brought in Jermaine and we’ve got Richard Hughes coming back, which is great news. “We need some extra bodies in midfield because we’ve been playing centre-backs in there recently, although Papa Bouba Diop is back in the gym following his knee injury, which is encouraging. “I didn’t expect to see him there that soon but in a month’s time he could be back on the training pitch. “People have come into the side and worked their socks off. They’re giving everything for me. “Glen Johnson is missing on Saturday through suspension but Martin Cranie came in against Bristol City and did very well. I’ve got no fear about Martin letting us down. He’ll do a great job for us.” Despite facing Championship opposition at Fratton Park in the fourth round, Adams does not think that Pompey will be able to stroll into the next stage. He said: “Swansea are a good side who pass the ball very well. They’re extremely talented and keep possession well, so we can’t be impatient. “We’ll have to stay resilient and make sure we don’t get done on the counter-attack. “It’s a tough test but there’s no reason why we can’t make it through to the next round. “They’ve got very good technical players like Leon Britton and Darren Pratley. Roberto Martinez has got a good team there and he’s doing an excellent job. “We’ve got to be mentally tough and stay professional and not charge forward like we have done at home this season. “We need to take our chances without leaving the back door open – that’s what I’m looking for. “At the start of the game it’s 0-0, so anyone’s got a chance. It’s a one-off game and we have to be careful because there are no easy matches.”

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