Colby Bishop’s run of 42 successive League One starts has been ended through injury
John Mousinho is convinced Pompey possesses the goal power to cope without the talismanic Colby Bishop.
The Blues will turn to Kusini Yengi and Christian Saydee during the unspecified injury absence of a player who has netted 35 times in 73 outings since arriving in the summer of 2022.
Pompey is awaiting the results of a scan on Bishop’s left ankle before determining how long he will be sidelined for.
In the meantime, Yengi will be challenged to deputise at centre-forward for Saturday’s trip to Northampton, with Saydee likely to operate off him.
As the only fit strikers in his squad, Mousinho will be reliant on the pair providing the same deadly scoring threat as the reigning The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season. And he believes the summer signings can rise to the task.
He told The News: ‘We’re going to have to find a way to score without Colby.
‘In the second half at Burton, we showed we could. We managed to score without Colby; we managed to create without him as well; and we made sure we got bodies into the box and kept creating chances for as many players as possible.
‘One of the things we’re trying to do is contribute across the board a bit more. We heard that from Alex Robertson the other night; it’s something he’s been trying to put into his game.
‘The more goals we can get from the likes of Alex, plus Christian needs to pop up with a few, and also getting them from the wingers, then we will be in business.
‘We also have options to replace Colby; that was one of the reasons we wanted to take our time at halftime at Burton when assessing it.
‘Christian was playing well enough as the number 10, and we didn’t want to disrupt him there, while I thought it was a game that would really suit Kusini. As it turned out, the space opened up, and Yengi was probably unlucky not to get his goal in the second half.
‘So the most important thing is that we’re not hamstrung in terms of options at the moment. We have two centre-forwards in the building who can both play there and have both done really well.
‘Kusini is a natural number nine, a different player from Colby; he stretches the game, and he certainly has some attributes that set him apart from a lot of centre-forwards at this level.
‘It was a good opportunity for him to come in and make an impact the other night, and, in fairness, I thought he did. Yengi has not started a league game for Pompey, with Bishop previously an ever-present over the opening 18 league fixtures.
As for Saydee, he has totaled 19 appearances and two goals, although rarely in his preferred position as a centre-forward.
Mousino added, ‘Christian’s position is still number nine.
‘Ever since the opening game against Bristol Rovers, when he came on as a 10 at half-time and did so well, that’s where he’s had the most impact.
‘Christian has adapted really well in a different way to playing in a different slot. I thought he was really effective the other night.’
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