'If I'm honest...' - what Portsmouth boss John Mousinho said about on-loan Ipswich striker Joe Pigott following his super-sub showing against Burton

However, the Pompey head coach said the on-loan Ipswich striker will have to remain patient because of his preference for a 4-3-3 formation.

That’s the system Mousinho has turned to for five of his six matches in charge to date, meaning he has room for just one central striker in his starting line-up.

It’s meant 16-goal top-scorer Colby Bishop has been given the nod ahead of both Pigott and fellow loanee Dane Scarlett.

And it’s proven effective, with Pompey securing three wins and a draw during the new boss’ first few weeks in charge.

Pigott has contributed to that pick up in form, scoring in the 2-0 win at Fleetwood and setting up Scarlett for the Blues’ late winner against Burton on Tuesday night.

Yet those and other worthwhile offerings have all come from the bench, with the front man yet to start under the new manager.

And that’s likely to remain the case for now – despite Mousinho having total sympathy for Pigott.

The head coach said: ‘It was great for Joe (to set up the winner against Burton).

‘If you look over Joe’s contributions during my time here, he came on at Fleetwood and scored, he came on at Peterborough and affected the game when we were 2-0 down, he came on against Plymouth and affected the game at 2-1 and, again, got the assist the other night.

‘He can probably count himself unlucky not to have been involved a bit more, not to have got more minutes, but he’s probably the victim of the shape change and that’s tough for him.

‘But Joe keeps his head down, he’s brilliant, a huge character to have around the place – one of the real leaders in the dressing room and the one that everyone looks up to.

‘He’s brilliant to have round the place, trains hard every day and, probably, if I’m honest, deserves a bit more playing time.

‘But, unfortunately, that’s part of my job. It’s one of the hardest things, when good people like that and good pros aren’t necessarily playing the requisite amount of minutes.

‘But when he came on (against Burton), he was ready and made the difference. I was massively pleased for him.’

Pigott will likely find himself on the bench again for Pompey’s trip to Lincoln on Saturday.

Since his summer switch from Ipswich, the 29-year-old has made 30 appearances for the Blues and scored five times.

However, 16 of his 21 outings in the league have been as a substitute.