Connolly Leaves For Oxford

Last updated : 31 January 2014 By Jim Bonner

David Connolly has been loaned to Oxford United for the rest of the season.

The move doesn't really come as a surprise as Richie Barker hasn't made much of a secret about Connolly's training habits if you read between the lines during his early interviews at the club.

Whilst the Irishman possesses qualities that no other Pompey striker has and is arguably the best finisher at the club, he is rarely fully fit and it seems like Barker is set on having a front two of Ryan Taylor and Jake Jervis do the grafting up front with Patrick Agyemang to be used as the impact player coming off the bench.

Connolly is likely to be one of the top earners at the club and so that would be another factor in his departure. Only time will tell if the Pompey manager will be made to rue this decision as his team probably would have been beaten by Mansfield a fortnight ago without him, and there is no player in his current squad with his ability to turn a game in his team's favour.

It wouldn't be surprising if Connolly never played for Portsmouth again given the supposed relationship between him and Barker and he could well end up becoming the next Oxford manager as the current manager position here is vacant with Chris Wilder leaving for Northampton and Connolly expressed a serious interest in managing Pompey as soon as Guy Whittingham was sacked. 

In other news, Marcos Painter and Daniel Alfei's contracts have been extended until the end of the season and rightfully so. Both full backs have been performing very well in recent games, especially Painter who probably doesn't get the credit he deserves for his performances. The defence as a unit has improved with them in it and they deserve the praise they're getting from the manager.

It seems like that will be the last of the transfer deadline day business which means that Jed Wallace will remain at Portsmouth despite all the speculation about him leaving for Peterborouh. If he stays then he needs to sign that new contract offer as soon as possible so he doesn't leave for free in the summer.

But this is transfer deadline day and although the days of Harry Redknapp leaning out of a car window to declare his interest in hundreds of players to the onlooking media are long gone, there may be a late twist yet.