Striker happy to feature at Salisbury
He has to wait patiently for his chance to see some pre-season action.
So Michael Smith was pleased to finally enter the fray for the second half of Pompey’s friendly at Salisbury.
The striker completed a permanent switch to Fratton Park earlier in the summer after impressing while on loan last term.
And although he was not feeling too sharp at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, Smith believes that he will be ready for the start of the 2016/17 campaign.
He said: “It’s been a long time since I’ve played any football, so it was nice to be out on the pitch again.
“I had a grade one tear in my right calf and I was doing rehab for that when I hurt my left one a bit.
“That happened when I was trying to get fit for the new season on a treadmill back home.
“I certainly felt a bit sluggish when I came on, but I’ll be alright with another two or three games under my belt.
“We’ve got Bournemouth on Saturday and the football they like to play is possession-based, so I can imagine that they’ll have a lot of the ball.
“But, again, it’s all about getting minutes into your legs and making sure that we’re ready for that first game against Carlisle, which we’re all buzzing about.”
Pompey drew 2-2 against Salisbury, with goals from Noel Hunt and Gary Roberts cancelled out by Justin Bennett and Eddie Perrett.
Smith said: “It might be a friendly, but we’re professional footballers and we want to win every game, so we’re disappointed with the result – especially with the chances we had.”