Portsmouth have made bargain signing of the season in the Championship with ‘superb’ ace, he is up there with the very best

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Portsmouth’s survival in their first season of Championship football in 12 years looks to be all-but-secured for John Mousinho.

His side won 1-0 against Blackburn Rovers to put further daylight between themselves and the bottom three, with plenty of sides below Pompey and above the drop zone as well.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
12	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	39	14	10	15	54	60	-6	52
13	MillwallMillwall	39	13	12	14	37	40	-3	51
14	PrestonPreston	38	10	17	11	39	44	-5	47
15	QPRQPR	39	11	12	16	45	53	-8	45
16	SwanseaSwansea	39	12	9	18	40	51	-11	45
17	PortsmouthPortsmouth	39	12	9	18	47	61	-14	45
18	Stoke CityStoke City	39	10	12	17	40	52	-12	42
19	Oxford UnitedOxford United	39	10	12	17	40	57	-17	42
20	Hull CityHull City	39	10	11	18	39	48	-9	41
21	CardiffCardiff	39	9	13	17	43	63	-20	40
22	DerbyDerby	38	10	8	20	40	51	-11	38

Josh Murphy was the hero for John Mousinho’s side, securing the only goal of the game to pile the misery on Valerien Ismael. Fratton Park has been bouncing of late following vital wins over Leeds United in the last few weeks as well.

There is still work to be done, but Portsmouth’s position looks secure ahead of the final run-in for the relegation sides involved. Murphy’s heroics have been a key feature all season long and are the primary reason why they are seven clear of the drop.

• READ MORE: 17-year Portsmouth record finally broken after Newcastle United beat Liverpool at Wembley

Josh Murphy rubs shoulders with Norwich City, Leeds United, and Middlesbrough stars

Fratton Park has become a fortress for Portsmouth, with Colby Bishop also making a huge impact in a similar time frame since being reinstated into the side. He claimed the assist for a cooly taken winner from Murphy.

There is no stopping Portsmouth’s current positivity after winning the League One title at a canter last year, with Mousinho’s side seldom tasting defeat in the league. That form has also been evident at home, where they have won 22 points in the last 10 games, having won 16 in 10 prior to that.

As outlined by Playmakerstats on X (formerly Twitter), Murphy is expected to be a key player if they were to consolidate their Championship status. His goal and assist numbers stand out, with very few players ahead of him in terms of overall goal involvements.

He has entered Portsmouth folklore after scoring the goals and providing the assists to get them out of danger. Of the 30-year-old’s recent contributions 10 of them have directly contributed to an equaliser or winning goal as well.

The majority of those have come recently. It makes it all the more impressive but it also highlights how good a piece of recruitment it has been. Ao Tanaka and Wilson Isidor have been named as the Championship’s best signings this season.

But Murphy joined Portsmouth on a free transfer and is single-handedly helping them to survival. He has been a one man wrecking ball in the fight to remain above the dotted line all season.

It’s possible that he could be one of the top players on this list, should his good form continue. That would also surely place him in contention for signing of the season and Championship player of the season in the process?

• READ MORE: Who will win the Championship Golden Boot race? Two Norwich City stars in the mix, as Leeds United man hits top form

What John Mousinho has said of Josh Murphy recently

Speaking last month after a crucial win against QPR, via The Herald, Mousinho described the winger as superb after a ‘renaissance’. He said: “He [Murphy] was absolutely superb.

“We have been encouraging to get on the inside shoulder and he is such a threat on the outside, but we’ve seen players overcompensation on that side so if you can go both ways at the full-back is useful.

“The goals is the only things that he has been missing this season.

“It has been an amazing renaissance from him after having a few years in the wilderness.”

He has to be considered as one of the best players in the Championship at this stage. The only downside is that he recently went to the wrong side of 30, but Murphy is a player for now and to build around next season.