Nathan Broome heads to Fratton Park tonight having resumed his bid to become a first choice – and beyond that he’s weighing up whether to battle for the shirt or gain further experience by going out on loan.
Having recovered from a foot injury, the young keeper is in the squad for tonight’s final Papa John’s Trophy group game against Portsmouth. Nathan sustained it early on in our opening victory over Aston Villa Under-21s and played on. He then missed the next game, in which we beat Crawley Town, to qualify for the next stage.
“It’s a tough one,” said Nathan. “I came in initially to fight it out with Tans (Nik Tzanev). He got the shirt and fair play to him, he’s done well. Now it’s a case of 'do I stay and fight or do I go out on loan?'
“I lean on Alex Pearce and the experienced players, like Alex Woodyard and Harry Pell, who really help get my mind on what I think I should be doing. Bayzo is obviously great too and we had a good chat the other week, so there will be a plan for me in place."
“It’s still tough, it’s a different city having moved down here, as it’s not home for me, but it’s helped me grow up. My girlfriend is here and its life experience that I can call upon. At first it was hard, as I was staying in a hotel for a couple of months or so and it was different, but I slowly adjusted, and I’ve got my own flat now and I’m getting there. It’s still not smooth sailing, but it’s part and parcel of life.”
Shortly after Nathan’s injury, Johnnie Jackson added Will Jääskeläinen to our squad on a short-term deal as cover for Nik Tzanev. However, while Nathan has been helped back into action by our Goalkeeper Coach Ashley Bayes, Will is currently out with an ankle injury.
“It’s so unlucky,” said Nathan. “You couldn’t make this stuff up! He’s now on the road to recovery, like I’d been doing. I think he’s progressing well and not far off. I’ve been there and I can help Will. We’ve all had injuries, Tans included, so it’s a keeper’s union and we all back each other up.
“My injury happened 12 minutes into the Villa game. I passed the ball to Alfie Bendle and basically gone over on my foot. I probably didn’t help myself by playing the rest of the game, but when game-time is limited it’s what you do. I’m back earlier than expected and credit to Bayzo as he’s put some good work in with me. I’m good now, fresh and ready to go, and to get some game-time again.
“Bayzo treats you like you’re fit, but if he’s pushing you too far it’s up to you to say. I prefer it that way – it’s how it should be. It’s the first time I’ve been diving around with a plastic protective boot on, but it’s just his way of getting handling work done while recovering and I don’t mind it.”
You can see our extensive interview with Nathan Broome in full below, via the link to our official YouTube channel.