Zak Swanson didn’t need a confrontation with Flynn Downes to endear himself to the Fratton faithful – a century of Pompey games has been more than sufficient.

The pair’s second-half skirmish in the south-coast derby warranted a booking for both, with the flashpoint sparking the majority of their team-mates to wade in, albeit without a punch being thrown.

As a 21-year-old, he arrived at the Blues in July 2022 on a free transfer from Arsenal, having skippered their under-21 side, yet lacking any first-team involvement.

Some three-and-a-half years later, only Connor Ogilvie and Marlon Pack have been at Fratton Park longer than the versatile performer who, by John Mousinho’s own admission, has suffered some ‘tough times’ on the south-coast.

And the 25-year-old marked his 100th Pompey game with an impressive showing in the unfamiliar role of centre-back in the 1-1 draw against Southampton – and a yellow card.

‘Technically and tactically, he’s a Championship player’

Mousinho told The News: ‘Zak’s a lovely kid, full of confidence and really good in training. He’s been through some tough times at the football club as well.

‘I’ve always had a really good relationship with Zak, ever since I set foot in the building. He was one of those who played in my first three games, then got injured.

‘He had difficulty staying fit in that first 18 months after I had arrived, but was available for the majority of the games last year and hasn’t missed too many this year either. Despite playing out of position a lot, he has really stepped up to the level.

‘I rate Zak incredibly highly, he’s always had that challenge to play as many games as possible, to be fit for as many games as possible, he’s starting to show that now, adding that robustness to his game.

‘He’s got himself into a better position professionally, there’s always that adjustment coming from an under-21 side. A lot of under-21 players who get into the league then end up dropping out again and not surviving because it’s such a different environment for them.

‘Zak, thankfully, isn’t one of them. He’s come into the league and, while it has taken that time to adjust, he’s not a young lad anymore and can really step on himself now and become a Championship player.

‘Defensively, he has been very, very solid this season, very rarely have we seen a winger get the better of him too many times – and that’s been a real bonus for us.

‘With Zak coming to the end of his contract in the summer, I just want to get as much as I possibly can out of him. Then we’ll have that discussion in May.’

12 league appearances in 2023-24 League One title-winning season

A recurring groin injury, the form of Joe Rafferty and the tragic passing of his mum saw Swanson’s involvement restricted to 12 league matches and one goal in the 2023-24 promotion season.

Surprisingly, the former Arsenal man was selected ahead of Rafferty for the visit of Barnsley in April 2024 which would signal the League One title and a Championship return on the same memorable evening.

However, the youngster was forced off in the 31st minute of that Fratton Park clash through injury, prematurely ending his season with two matches to spare.

Yet, while Mousinho released the experienced Rafferty that summer, he opted to renegotiate a new deal with Swanson, who himself was out of contract.

It represented a huge vote of confidence in the defender and – 18 months later – he has marked 100 appearances in a Pompey shirt.

‘It was a sign of how highly we rate him’

Mousinho added: ‘Zak played some massive games for us at the back end of the League One season, coming in and competing with Joe Rafferty, who was one of the best right-backs in the league at the time.

‘We decided to let Joe go and keep Zak on, which hopefully was a sign of how highly we rate him. That summer we didn’t take up the option and renegotiated a new deal.

‘If Zak wants to become a really good, modern full-back, there are still plenty of sides to his game which he can improve – and we’ll keep pushing him to do it.’