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Pompey boss: It's great to have the club captain back

John Mousinho has to decide whether to tinker with a winning team as Pompey's week on the road ends at Bristol Rovers this weekend.

The Pompey boss has skipper Clark Robertson and midfielder Jay Mingi available again as the Blues look to build on their midweek 3-1 win at snowy Accrington when they take on Joey Barton's team.

The smart money would be on both fit-again players having to settle for a place on the bench but only Mousinho knows what line-up he has in mind. And he is certainly glad to have Robertson as an option at the back.

Mousinho told the Pompey website: 'Clark was pretty much available for selection from Monday and we thought it would be good for him to be around all the lads and form part of the travelling squad. It’s great to have the club captain back and the influence he has, even just on the bus or at dinner, is great.

'We thought it was a step too far to be involved in the game and we wanted to make sure that he’s fully ready. But Clark is available for this weekend and there’s no new injury news — it’s a clean bill of health from Tuesday.

'Jay Mingi is also ready for selection and with Zak Swanson we’re still looking at probably another 2-3 weeks.'

Mousinho said Rovers would be tough opposition for his 10th placed side, who would have to watch out for their ex-striker John Marquis.

He told the website: 'They’re a really good side and have enjoyed an excellent season after winning promotion, continuing that momentum. There are some excellent attacking options — including John Marquis, who the fans here obviously know very well.

'Rovers do try to get the ball down and play attractive football, while also having the ability to go longer with the physicality they have. I’m sure they would have been disappointed to lose to Wycombe on Tuesday night, but have also had some good results in recent weeks.

'There will be plenty of positives coming out of their camp and we know it’s going to be a stern test this weekend.'

Mousinho also revealed Pompey had decided not to appeal against Joe Pigott's red card at Accrington, with the advice given to them that it was unlikely to be successgul. He will miss three games.

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