The view from Portsmouth dressing room over lack of striker business as ex-Bristol City and Cardiff City man has his say

The Buckland boy admitted the absence of a senior front man is the ‘elephant in the room’ when it comes to preparations for the new campaign.

And that is having its impact on the work Danny Cowley can do to prepare his players for what lies ahead in League One.

Pack has been keeping a close eye on recruitment, after his return to the city was confirmed last month.

The business has yet to return a striker however, with it now a little over two weeks until the season opener at Sheffield Wednesday.

Pack sees a decent nucleus to build on among his new team-mates, but the focus of attention is clear if the team are to develop their understanding.

He said: ‘Of course there is (work to be done).

‘It’s obvious we’ve not been able to do as much (in training) as we’d like, due to the squad not being where the gaffer wants it to be at the minute.

‘It’s not a field I’m a part of, but when the players do come in it will give the boys a lift and the fans a lift.

‘Then hopefully we can start building those relationships even further, and get the kind of the squad he’d want going into the first game of the season.

‘For sure (there’s a base to build on) but there’s obviously one or two key areas.

‘The elephant in the room is we have one striker at the club in Dan Gifford, who’s a third-year scholar.

‘I know the gaffer has been working tirelessly so we’ll see how that finishes when it does happen.’

Pompey are having to adapt to life without a striker, with Ronan Curtis leading the line in warm-up games, while Gifford has also done his stints up top.

Pack knows that presents challenges but can see a commitment from his team-mates he knows will go down with his club’s support.

He added: ‘It’s something that could happen on a matchday easily.

‘You could get a couple of injuries and then it’s about how you adapt as a squad.

‘It’s early days, but you can see everyone is working for each other - and that’s key.

‘Obviously in the Portsmouth area the fans will take note of that.

‘I think if they see that they will get really stuck in and get behind us.

‘I think they will be able to see that.

‘Having been here for a couple of weeks, I can see it’s a tight-knit group and that can a go long way in football.’