Portsmouth's January strategy should still be clear despite Colby Bishop boost: View | OneFootball

Portsmouth's 2-0 win against title rivals Bolton Wanderers on Monday evening moved them six points clear at the top of League One.

It was a well-deserved victory for the Fratton Park club and may have been even more satisfying for both John Mousinho and the supporters as it was done without star striker Colby Bishop.

Bishop has been key to Pompey's success this campaign, bagging 11 goals and two assists in 18 league appearances - meaning he's well on course to better his 2022-23 League One return of 20 goals and four assists, which came in his first season at the club.

The centre-forward has looked central to their promotion hopes and so his recent injury has been the source of great concern. The way they've dealt with it - winning back-to-back games in his absence - has been hugely impressive but adding more firepower in January should still be a priority.

Colby Bishop injury latest

The striker was injured during Pompey's 2-0 win over Burton at the end of November, a game in which he scored before having to come off just before the half-time interval.

The injury suffered by Bishop will have come as a major concern for all associated with Pompey. They had a nervous wait to discover the extent of the issue but, luckily, Mousinho has confirmed that his forward will be out for "three to four weeks."

January striker candidates should still be assessed

24-year-old Kusini Yengi has proven a useful replacement, finding the net against Bolton last night, but one swallow does not make a summer.

We've not seen enough of the Australian yet to suggest that he would be able to replace Bishop's goal output should he suffer another injury while Yengi has had fitness issues of his own so more depth can only be a good thing in what is a long and arduous season.

As such, the League One leaders still need to be assessing potential striker candidates ahead of the January window to allow Mousinho to strengthen his options up top.

Of course, they're far from the only EFL club that will want to add a new centre-forward and so they may have to be creative.

Perhaps Mousinho should look to League Two for his backup striker and take a punt on a player such as Will Evans, who has proven himself as one of the fourth tier's finest goal-getters despite playing for mid-table Newport County and receiving what is arguably limited service from teammates.

Evans is confident right now and versatile, which would mean he can play in the same XI as Bishop if necessary. On top of that, the risk of losing first team football in the short term could benefit the rest of the Welshman's career as a move to a club such as Pompey could place him more firmly on the radar of League One and perhaps even Championship clubs.

The loan market is without doubt an avenue that Portsmouth will want to explore as well, with a host of talented strikers coming through in the second tier and Premier League - such as Ademola Ola-Adebomi at Crystal Palace.

Wherever they find them, a striker should still be high on Pompey's list of January priorities.