Meet the opposition | Portsmouth

As the Swans prepare to take on Portsmouth Tuesday evening, we take a closer look at Pompey.

What's their story? 

Portsmouth were formed in 1898 and enjoyed early success in the Southern and Western Leagues before becoming founder members of the Football League Third Division in 1920.

They soon climbed the ranks, reaching the FA Cup final in 1929, before winning the competition in 1939. Post-war they were back-to-back top-flight champions in 1949 and 1950.

A tougher period followed after relegation from the top tier in 1959 but, following a return for a solitary season in 1987-88, they become regulars in the second tier and would go on to enjoy great success after securing promotion to the Premier League under Harry Redknapp in 2003.

Pompey went on to spend seven years in the division, claiming a best finish of ninth and winning the FA Cup by beating Cardiff in the 2008 final.

They lost another final to Chelsea in 2010 but, with the club experiencing financial difficulties, they were relegated after being deducted nine points for going into administration.

Further financial woes followed and by the summer of 2013 they were in League Two, although the purchase of the club by the Pompey Supporters’ Trust did provide some reason for optimism.

They would get to League One under Paul Cook in 2017 and, after a number of near misses, returned to the Championship in 2024 as they claimed the League One title under John Mousinho. 

How's their form?

Portsmouth have won just one of their last nine Championship fixtures, losing six of them.

Their fixture against Charlton at the weekend was abandoned after just 12 minutes following a medical emergency that tragically saw an Addicks supporter pass away.

They have not won away from home since the opening day of the campaign.

Who's the gaffer?

John Mousinho was appointed Portsmouth boss in January 2023, taking on his first senior managerial role, and led Pompey to within sight of the play-offs over the remainder of the season.

They carried that momentum forward and went on to secure the League One title and a return to the Championship in 2024.

He then faced the task of sustaining Pompey’s Championship status last season, and a strong second half of the campaign saw them achieve that goal, finishing in 16th place.

Mousinho had an 18-year playing career that included spells with Brentford, Wycombe Wanderers, Stevenage, Preston North End, Burton Albion and Oxford United. He helped Stevenage and Burton Albion to promotions and was holding a player-coach role with Oxford prior to being handed the reins at Fratton Park.

Who's their captain? 

Experienced midfielder Marlon Pack is in his fourth season back with the club where he started his career.

A product of the Pompey academy, Park made a solitary league appearance for them – while also having loan spells with Wycombe, Dagenham & Redbridge and Cheltenham Town.

A permanent move to the latter followed in 2011 and two years later he was snapped up by Bristol City.

Across six seasons at Ashton Gate, Pack helped the Robins secure promotion to the Championship, EFL Trophy success and reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

He joined Cardiff in 2019, reaching the play-offs in 2020, but went on to leave at the end of his contract in 2022.

That led to his return to Fratton Park, and he skippered Pompey to the title and promotion in 2024, producing an outstanding series of performances that saw him named in the League One team of the year and named the club’s player of the season.

Who are the key men?

Despite being a central defender, Regan Poole has been a real threat in the opposition box this season, already registering four goals.

Poole began his career at Cardiff City before joining Newport County as a scholar, where he became the youngest player to represent the club at just 16 years and 94 days old.

In 2015, he earned a move to Manchester United, though he made only one senior appearance—a one-minute cameo against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League.

During his time at United, Poole enjoyed two loan spells: one with Northampton Town and another back at Newport County, where he played a key role in their 2019 League Two play-off run, ultimately falling short in a 1-0 defeat to Tranmere Rovers in the final.

He later joined newly promoted League One side MK Dons, spending 18 months there before moving to Lincoln City. His time with the Imps proved highly successful, making over 100 appearances and collecting both the Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season awards in 2021–22.

Poole completed his move to Fratton Park in 2023, where he has continued to develop into a standout defender.

The Welshman also has earned one cap for his country, which came in a 4-0 victory over Gibraltar in 2023. 

Winger Josh Murphy has been one of Portsmouth key creative sparks, with four assists to his name so far this season after being a leading light last term too.

The twin brother of Newcastle winger Jacob, Murphy started his career with Norwich City, coming through the academy to reach senior level and feature in the Premier League.

He also had loan spells with Wigan Athletic and MK Dons before Cardiff paid £11million to secure his services ahead of the 2018-19 Premier League season.

Initially a regular for the Bluebirds, he eventually fell out of favour following a series of managerial changes and spent the 2021-22 season on loan with Preston before joining Oxford.

He was an important figure in the U’s promotion tilt, and played a big part in keeping Pompey in the league last season, scoring seven goals, finishing the club's third-highest goalscorer, behind Callum Lang and Colby Bishop. 

Australian midfielder Adrian Segecic has enjoyed an impressive debut season in England and currently leads Pompey’s league scoring charts with four goals.

Born in Australia, Segecic spent time on trial with several European clubs before signing for Sydney FC, joining their academy in 2016. He made his professional league debut in 2021, coming off the bench in a 3-0 win over Macarthur FC.

He went on to make 44 league appearances for Sydney and also gained valuable experience during a loan spell in the Netherlands with FC Dordrecht, helping them reach the Eerste Divisie play-offs.

Before securing his move to Portsmouth, Segecic was selected for the ASEAN All-Stars side that beat Manchester United 1-0, providing the assist for the winning goal.

The 21-year-old has represented Australia throughout the youth levels as well, featuring in the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup where the Young Socceroos reached the quarter-finals, before bowing out to Uzbekistan on penalties.