Whatmough praise on his return

The Pompey defender put nine months on the sidelines to bed with his comeback for Hawks at Hemel Hempstead on Saturday.

Whatmough got a 15-minute cameo under his belt in the 2-0 loss, after making a loan move to Westleigh Park last week.

It may have been the briefest of outings, but it was still a cause for celebration for the Gosport lad after undergoing months of gruelling rehabilitation.

Hawks boss, Lee Bradbury, felt Whatmough offered his side quality in his outing.

Bradbury said: ‘He got through his first appearance okay without any mishaps.

‘It was good for him to get his first 20 minutes in a competitive game in over nine months out of the way.

‘In his time out there he looked good and assured on the ball

‘He is big enough and strong enough to come in and play at this level without having played for so long.

‘When he went on he wanted the ball and kept it.

‘I made the change sending him on as part of a triple substitution.

‘He sat in front of the back four giving us some protection in a position where he could set up some attacks.

‘I was pleased with his contribution, and, even after all his time out, he didn’t look out of place.

‘He didn’t have much time, however, to get on the ball and make a difference.’

Whatmough’s interaction with Hawks players will remain limited, as the weather forces them to train on an artificial surface.

Bradbury said: ‘The only problem is he hasn’t been able to train with the other players because of certain restrictions.

‘Understandably, Portsmouth don’t want to risk him on an artificial surface.

‘The player has worked hard to get where he is and it would be ridiculous to put that at risk for the sake of training on a 3G surface.

‘He is an intelligent footballer, though, and picks things up quickly, so it isn’t that important.’

JORDAN CROSS