Doncaster Rovers

Portsmouth has a stubborn defence and are effective from set-pieces while the majority of goals this century have come from Marcus Harness.

With new signings arriving in January, the free-flowing striker has started matches from the bench despite leading the team with 10 goals.

The next highest tally is four with four players on that number including Republic of Ireland international Ronan Curtis. Cowley’s squad are averaging just 1.17 goals per game, while and conceding 1.07 per game. The return to more first team action for Michael Jacobs has inspired the team, and adds to what Cowley hopes will be more goals and positive results in the coming weeks for his team.

Ronan Curtis

Ronan Curtis is another in what is becoming a healthy list of Republic of Ireland international players donning the badge for Portsmouth Football Club.

The godson of former Wales National Team manager Chris Coleman, Curtis sees playing time as both a midfielder and forward for Pompey under the guidance of Danny Cowley. Since joining the club in 2018, the EFL Trophy winner has been first or second in goals scored across the previous three seasons and has appeared in more than 140 matches across all competitions for the club.

Last season, Curtis registered 12 goals in all competitions 10 goals of which came in Sky Bet League One. He also produced a team-high matching nine assists, while maintaining a 0.56 goals and assists per game. Curtis began his professional career at Derry City, later earning his first full debut for the Republic of Ireland National Team when he was used as a substitute in November 2018. This season for Pompey, he has scored four goals and has tallied three assists. Curtis owns a team-leading 100 shots this season with 32 of on target. He is averaging 3.57 shots per game and 1.14 shots on target per game.

Marcus Harness

Marcus Harness is a right-winger that has been with Portsmouth Football Club since 2019. Born in Coventry, Harness arrived at Pompey from parent-club Burton Albion where he spent six seasons with the Millers. As a youth, Harness began at his hometown club Coventry City in their youth academy, until moving to Burton Albion for his final three years of academy training (2010-13). In 2013, at the tender age of 17, he signed his first professional contract with the club, going on to help the club win the Sky Bet League Two title during the 2014/15 season. Throughout his time at Burton Albion, he served loan spells with Ilkeston, Aldershot Town and later Port Vale. In all with the Millers, Harness would feature in more than 70 games across all competitions, and registered the only hat-trick of his career in a 4-0 win at Rochdale in January 2019.

In all that final season with the club, he scored six goals in 39 appearances. He would sign for Pompey in July of 2019, inking a three-year deal. Internationally, Harness is eligible to represent both England and the Republic of Ireland, with the winger deciding to represent Ireland for his. This season for Portsmouth, Harness leads all performers with 10 goals and an assist. He averages 0.38 goals per game, and owns a 38.9% shots on target average. He is averaging 2.05 shots per game to go along with 0.48 goals per shots on target.

Michael Jacobs

A player that has come back into form following a knee injury suffered at the latter stages of the 2020/21 season, Michael Jacobs has been with Portsmouth Football Club since 2020.

A crafty left-winger, Jacobs began his senior career with Northampton Town in 2009, after departing from the club’s youth Academy. He would eventually become a regular starter for the club, scoring seven goals during the 2011/22 season. He went on to score more than 10 goals in what would be 100 total appearances for the club cross all competitions.

In 2012, he moved to Derby County, staying with the Rams until 2014 and scoring a pair of league goals in 42 league games for the club. In 2013, he served a loan spell with Wolverhampton Wanderers from November 2013 until January 2014.

Eventually, he would seal a permanent move to join Wolves in January 2014 before the end of the January transfer window. Jacobs moved to Wigan in 2015, staying with the Latics until his move to Pompey in 2020. At Wigan, Jacobs featured in more than 180 games and netted in excess of 30 goals for the club. Though seeing limited playing time this season for Pompey, Jacobs has played in 17 games so far.  He is the league’s in-form player scoring in each of Pompey’s last three league fixtures. He also has two assists and is averaging 0.66 goals per game with a 0.33 assists per game average as well. Jacobs has picked out 30 crosses into the box, and has won seven tackles in defence.

Sean Raggett

Sean Raggett serves as centre-back for Portsmouth, signing a permanent contract with the club in 2020 after serving a successful loan with the club during the 2019/20 season prior to his full-time employment for Pompey.

The Gillingham-born and raised Raggett began his professional career with Dover Athletic in 2010, spending six seasons with the club until moving to Lincoln City in the EFL in 2016. With Lincoln City, he scored five league goals across 43 league fixtures, later moving to Norwich City in the summer of 2017. One of his notable appearances for the Imps would be his 89th-minute winner over Premier League team Burnley in the fifth round of the 2017 Emirates FA Cup, with Lincoln City becoming the first non-league side to reach the quarter-finals of the competition in 103 years.

Later with Norwich City, Raggett also served a number of loan spells with Lincoln City, Rotherham United andventually, Portsmouth. At Rotherham, he scored a goal in seven appearances, while scoring a pair of goals across his 26 league appearances for Portsmouth on loan. This season for Pompey, Raggett has played and started in 31 games for Danny Cowley’s side. He has scored two goals, including a header in his last outing against Burton Albion midweek. He has picked up a team third-most 30 interceptions in defence, and has gone on to win nine tackles.