Portsmouth boss acknowledges fan shock at success of old flop who has become Sheffield Wednesday key man

Player struggles to early make impact at club, form spirals, fans groan, player moves on to a cacophony of social media sneers. Others merely coast, with their departure leaving little more than a ripple.

What happens next can go either way.

Which Sheffield Wednesday supporter can hand-on-heart say they saw Grant Holt going on to the edge of England selection? Was Darko Kovačević always nailed on for Juventus stardom? Gabby Agbonlahor became Aston Villa’s most prolific Premier League goalscorer of all-time. Dare we mention Jamie Vardy?

Michael Smith hasn’t quite hit the heights of those mentioned above of course but his success over the last five years has proven a source of confusion for Portsmouth supporters, who watched the now 31-year-old struggle through 18 months of mis-fire and injury with the club in 2016 and 2017.

That the Wednesday fan favourite arrives at Fratton Park this afternoon as a repeat promotion winner and star man for a Wednesday side poised on the fringes of something special is a shock down south.

“It happens,” said Pompey boss John Mousinho. “I’ve seen players I’ve played with who have really surprised me when they’ve gone elsewhere.

“You think they have no hope at all of making it as a professional, then all of a sudden they kick on and they are in the Championship and Premier League in some cases.

“That’s the way it works, different environments suit some players, different managers or coaches can sometimes get the best out of players.

“Michael Smith has gone on to have a really excellent career between League One and the Championship and he’s one of the bigger threats in his side and the league this season.

“Some people may look at it as a bit of a mad one, but it does happen.”

Smith’s Pompey stay spanned seven goals in 34 appearances and saw him become something of a scapegoat for supporters before he was farmed out on loan to Northampton Town.

The Geordie target man has built a growing tally of 17 goals contributions – 13 goals and four assists – in 35 outings across all competitions this season. It follows 210 appearances in a career-defining four-year stint with Rotherham United.

An important player in both boxes for the Owls, Smith’s partnership up top with Josh Windass has been one of the most feared in League One.

“You have to pay the due amount of attention to players like that,” Mousinho continued. “But if you pay too much attention to Michael Smith, they have nine other outfield players who can hurt you.

“That’s the key really, if you look around Sheffield Wednesday’s squad there is talent everywhere.

“The key is to balance off taking care of Michael Smith, which will be the centre-halves’ priority, but you can’t put all your eggs into one basket, because they also have Gregory and Windass and other attacking talents who can hurt you.

“So you have to balance if off, but also not get too obsessed with the opposition as well.

“We need to impose ourselves on them and have them worrying about the centre-forwards, wide men and all the players we have with amazing talent, who can hurt them as well.”

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