Pompey weighing up defender loan extension

POMPEY are weighing up extending Josh Passley’s loan stay.
Josh Passley. Picture: Joe PeplerJosh Passley. Picture: Joe Pepler
Josh Passley. Picture: Joe Pepler

The right wing-back’s youth loan from Fulham is scheduled to expire following Saturday’s visit of Shrewsbury.

With play-off aspirations all but over and only seven fixtures to play following this weekend, Andy Awford must decide whether to attempt to keep the 20-year-old.

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Passley has impressed at Fratton Park in his nine appearances to date, although injury recently sidelined him for two matches.

He returned as an unused substitute at AFC Wimbledon, with Danny East starting in the role.

The Craven Cottage product featured for the reserves in their 3-1 win over Leyton Orient on Tuesday.

And reserve boss and first-team coach Paul Hardyman has been impressed with Passley’s input.

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He said: ‘Awfs is dealing with that at the moment, there are decisions to be made.

‘We need wing-backs and with Andy Barcham not quite right we will have to see how it goes.

‘That’s a conversation for Andy, Kit (Symons), Pompey and Fulham.

‘He came in for the Wycombe game and from there the club went on a decent run which he was a part of – and you want to keep that going.

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‘For the reserves on Tuesday we were encouraging him to get forward, his quality was there a lot of the time, although there were also a couple of moments you felt he could have done better.

‘But that is what those games are for, keeping working at it and he put in fantastic ball for Paul McCallum’s second goal.

‘You want as many good players available as you can.’