Forward's return so vital for Pompey

AFTER Colby Bishop returned from heart surgery at the start of last month, Portsmouth quickly picked up seven points and climbed off the bottom of the Championship.

- Chris Dunlavy

“It has been huge to have him back,” admitted Pompey’s assistant manager Jon Harley after Bishop inspired a 3-0 win over Bristol City last weekend.

“He’s made one and scored one. He’s a constant threat. The last couple of years he has scored a hell of a lot of goals. He almost guarantees you goals. You are always backing him to score or pop up with something.

“He’s a player you would hate to play against but if you have him on your team, it is like having a mountain. He’s been a big miss.”

Bishop’s value to Portsmouth was never in doubt, but their struggles in his absence have only highlighted his importance.

Signed from Accrington for £500,000 in 2022, the 28-year-old has bagged 47 goals in 103 appearances for Pompey and was their top scorer in each of the past two campaigns.

Last year’s tally of 21 earned a place in the League One team of the season as John Mousinho’s side sealed a long-awaited return to the Championship.

Yet such adulation was a world away when Bishop was released by Notts County as a teenager.