Town boss Paul Jewell says he’s weighing up whether to change his team for Saturday’s home game against Bristol City in the wake of last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion. The Blues have named an unchanged side for their last three matches.

Jewell said: “I always consider the team but I think we’ve got to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

“We didn’t think everything was rosy in the garden after we’d won four games, but also just because we’ve lost one game it doesn’t mean to say we’ll have to make wholesale changes. But we’ll consider everything.”

The Blues boss says he has no new injury concerns, aside from striker Nathan Ellington, who has a minor groin niggle.

The former Wigan man has played little part since joining Town on a free transfer from Watford last summer, making only three starts and 14 sub appearances, but Jewell says anyone on the fringes can suddenly find themselves involved and that they need to take their opportunity when it comes: “He’s training but he’s carrying a little bit of a groin problem. He hasn’t featured because Chops has been scoring goals and Jason’s been on the bench.

“I’m sure he’s disappointed. We’re all a bit disappointed, we expected a bit more from him. Some of it’s down to him not having a run in the team and hasn’t had a chance.

“He’s got another year of his contract to go and you only have to look at Andy Drury and Luke Hyam to see that when you think you’re out of the picture, you’ve got to keep fighting, keep working and if you get an opportunity take it.”

Centre-half Tommy Smith is due to be back in the UK on Friday morning after his gruelling three-leg return flight from New Zealand, where he played for the All Whites in their 3-2 defeat to Jamaica, and will be assessed before a decision is made on his inclusion against the Robins. Ibrahima Sonko is over his dislocated rib and would be Smith’s replacement.

Meanwhile, Bristol City will be without defender Lewin Nyatanga due to an ankle injury, which will require surgery at the end of the season. The Robins hope he’ll be back in action with the aid of pain-killing injections but not before the weekend.

Photo: Action Images

Vic added 14:14 - Mar 1 Sonko for Smith, who'll doubtless be tired. other than that, keep it the same.
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tractorboy2434 added 14:26 - Mar 1 Ellington a striker ! well you learn something new every day. Jewell says he was expecting a bit more from him, no sh*t sherlock, you can say that again !
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blue_beats_yellow added 14:37 - Mar 1 Gotta change the defence after it conceded 3. Bring in Sonko.
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brittaniaman added 14:40 - Mar 1 ELLINGTON another year on his contract ?????????????????
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Blue041273 added 14:42 - Mar 1 I suspect that it's Luke Hyam's place that is under threat. PJ needs to keep the older MF players happy and he is the most expendable particularly after the recent yellow cards.
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Dolly2.0 added 14:47 - Mar 1 I'd keep things the same, apart from maybe leaving out Smith due to only getting back tomorrow. We actually played some good stuff on Saturday and the 3-0 scoreline doesn't tell the full story.
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Garv added 15:14 - Mar 1 Hyam is a red card waiting to happen.
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Michael11 added 15:35 - Mar 1 Sod Pompey they had their chance to make money, don't remember us being able to say no to a shockingly low £2m bid for Darren Bent, Matt Holland, Hermann Hreidarsson etc when we were in administration! All I care about is the 6 points we'd lose!
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Michael11 added 15:36 - Mar 1 p.s i realise i posted on the wrong one!
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whittonite added 15:39 - Mar 1 because we lost 1 in 5 its really not the time to ditch certain players because they had a bad game,the only change i see for saturdays game is sonko for smith.the players must know that if they put in a bad stint on saturday, they are going to be sitting on the bench or worse.so they have to up it a bit to show it was a slip, which is why i cant wait for saturday....:D coyb

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sonian_blue added 15:41 - Mar 1 'The Blues boss says he has no new injury concerns, aside from striker Nathan Ellington' Contradiction of terms that statement...its not a concern, the bloke is sh*te My concern is that he has another year on his contract...WTF is that all about????? Someone should be sacked for that.
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tsbmumof3 added 16:06 - Mar 1 guess smith will be one change cos of international duty and maybe hyam would like to ryan stevenson and josh carson given a go in midfield but please not the old boys back !!!!!
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Eireannach_gorm added 16:48 - Mar 1 'We're all a bit disappointed, we expected a bit more from him'. Indeed!
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ITFC4daprem added 16:56 - Mar 1 Wright Edwards-Sonko-DD-Cresswel Hyam-Drury JET-Martin-Carson Chopra subs Bullard carson Scotland stevenson
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Langdon_Blue added 17:10 - Mar 1 ITFC4 daprem....tough decision. Do you leave Carson on the bench, or put him in the starting line up....or both? he he
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Lightningboy added 17:42 - Mar 1 Just put Sonko back in for either Smith or Delaney...for the love of God,please don't bring useless Leadbitter back in..Put Stevenson on the bench instead...please!
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Bluewelshman added 18:07 - Mar 1 To be absolutely honest I couldnt care less about Pompey going under. How many chances does a business need to stay afloat 1...2...3 p*** off, if that was any other company they would have been folded on the first hearing possibly with the loss of more jobs than Portsmouth will. What makes a football club so f***ing special that they can pay out millions on players a hundred odd thousand on primaddonas wages when they know damn well they have no money to cover it. I'm sorry for the fans but dont look at us for sympathy, if they were more proactive they could have put pressure on the club to look after it a bit better, but as long as the big name players and the results were going their way they coulnd give a toss about the underlining state in which their club was in. When we were in administration the vultures picked our bones and we lost the whole structure of our side, a structure that even now succesive managers are still trying to develope. The big difference between us and pompey fans is that we understood what needed to be done and questioned the club when the debt was published. If town held on to players and kept on buying and paying more wages we all would have quizzed the club on its policy, pompey fans have just let the good times roll no matter what. Anyway at least we wont have to listen to that tit with the bell if they do go under. COYB

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slowerball added 18:20 - Mar 1 Tommy Smith... gruelling journey? Get real. First class travel with all the air hostesses he can eat? British photographer Paul Conroy, who was wounded in an army bombardment in the Syrian rebel city of Homs last week, has been smuggled to Lebanon... that's a proper gruelling journey. As for selection issues... pick the best XI who are fit and able and crack on.
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village_blue added 19:35 - Mar 1 Agree with Garv that Hyam is a red card waiting to happen and should be rested. but please for goodness sake don't put Leadboots back in the team, let's see what Stevenson can do given the chance.
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JackITFC96 added 20:12 - Mar 1 Wright Edwards Sonko Delaney Creswell Drury Bullard/Stevenson Hyam JET Chopra MARTIN
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bedsitfc added 20:13 - Mar 1 sonko for smith and i would like to see stevenson come on as a sub for drury
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ClarkyITFC added 20:21 - Mar 1 COME ON BOYS
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titanicclown added 20:23 - Mar 1 Sonko for Smith. Delaney and Sonko are the best pair weve got. I'd rest Hyam and give Bullard a game. He must be itching for a game and I could see him ruining Bristol City. Too good a player to keep on the bench. Hyam's got plenty of time.
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walberswick added 21:21 - Mar 1 Stevenson? Who he?
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runaround added 21:36 - Mar 1 Only possible changes I'd consider is Sonko for Smith if he's too tired and possibly a change of keeper. The other players deserve another chance. I do fear that PJ is looking for a chance to bring back Leadbelly which I think would be a terrible decision. A defeat on Saturday with 2 tough away matches to follow, will raise a real possibilty of us having another poor run and slipping back into relegation trouble. I would lose all the faith that has grown for PJ in last couple of months if he gets this wrong. Please keep the same players and formation PJ

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