Portsmouth summer signing Matt Ritchie remains hopeful the club can fight against the odds and achieve survival this season.

Portsmouth have not had a good start to life back in the Championship, sitting 23rd in the table and three points adrift of safety.

John Mousinho’s side did pick up a huge win in their most recent game though, beating fellow strugglers Preston North End 3-1 at Fratton Park. Colby Bishop made his long-awaited return to the squad in the game, coming on to score the winner from the spot in the second half.

Pompey look set for a relegation battle this year and one of their summer signings Matt Ritchie has been speaking of his side’s chances of survival with The News.

The former Newcastle United man insisted while he anticipated Portsmouth being up against it this season, they still have the time and fight to turn things around and ‘achieve something special’ in the 2024/25 campaign. He said:

“I certainly knew when I came to the club it wasn’t going to be an easy season and it would have its ups and downs.

“Hopefully we can collectively get better and be competitive in this division moving forward. I think we can then achieve something special this season.

“If at the end of the season we can achieve our goal of staying in the Championship and retaining our Championship status, it will taste all the better for the suffering we have gone through come May if we can achieve our goal.

‘Nothing worth achieving is going to be easy. We know that and as a group we understand that. It will be a huge achievement and hopefully we can do that. It won’t be for a lack of endeavour, the lads’ efforts are there for all to see.”

There is no doubting Ritchie is a quality player. The 35-year-old has spent the best part of the last 10 years in the Premier League with Newcastle United and Bournemouth.

That experience is going to make him an influential player back with Portsmouth, where it wall started for him as a youngster.

Ritchie is yet to deliver a goal or an assist in his 11 appearances, with four of those being starts. However, he brings more to John Mousinho’s side than goal contributions, with the intangible sides of his game and character making him a big influence on the south coast after time away.

It is a long season, and if Portsmouth are to have a chance at survival, Ritchie will be eager to chip in with goals and assists alongside his contributions as a leader.

Tough run ahead

Portsmouth face three teams in the hunt for the play-offs the week after the international break.

They have away trips to both Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City either side of hosting in-form Millwall at home. The Lions are particularly hard to beat at the minute, so it is hard to see Pompey picking up three points in that one.

Points that week may be hard to come by, but after a win over Preston, Mousinho will be hoping his side can gain some momentum and start to put some points on the board after a tough season.