Portsmouth V Bury at Fratton Park : Match Preview

08 March 2013 10:01
Portsmouth V Bury - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Pompey to run the rule over Connolly

Portsmouth will check on David Connolly ahead of the visit of Bury.

The veteran striker hopes to be fit despite coming off with a thigh knock at Crewe last weekend.

Caretaker boss Guy Whittingham's squad has been depleted again after on-loan midfielder Adam Reed went back to Sunderland and forward James Keene returned to Swedish parent club Elfsborg.

Striker Patrick Agyemang is due back at Stevenage but Pompey are hoping to extend his loan spell.

Agyemang scored his first goal for the club against Crewe as Portsmouth secured a 2-1 win - their first victory in 24 matches.

Academy winger Jack Maloney has been added to the squad but defender Sam Sodje misses out again as he completes a three-match ban.

Bury begin a critical week in their quest for npower League One survival without the services of Tom Soares and Stephane Zubar.

Soares suffered a hamstring injury during last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Crawley and bleeding from the muscle left the midfielder with a haematoma that means around a six-week absence.

Zubar's loan spell from Bournemouth has come to an end after a visit to a specialist this week confirmed cruciate knee ligament damage for the defender and a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The injuries could bring non-contract signings Euan Holden and Valery Mezague into contention, although the latter is completing rehabilitation from a hamstring injury of his own, and on-loan Peterborough striker Johnson Clarke-Harris may earn a place in the squad after scoring for Bury's reserves in midweek.

Defenders Phil Picken (knee) and Adam Lockwood (groin) remain on the sidelines along with midfielder Shane Byrne (blood disorder).

Source: PA