Portsmouth: Can Sean Raggett complete mission of getting club into the Championship?

Sean Raggett has made 227 appearances for Portsmouth since first joining the club on loan from Norwich in 2019

It is a slightly spurious statistic. In the same way that football didn't start in 1992, the year 2000 is an odd cut-off point.

But Sean Raggett is worthy of a Pompey accolade. His appearance in the 3-1 win over Cambridge United means he's played more games for the club this century than anyone else.

Yet things didn't get off to the best of starts back in 2019. His full Portsmouth debut was a game remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Promotion bubbles don't burst in August but throwing a 3-1 lead away against nine-man Coventry at home set alarm bells ringing through the fanbase.

It had been a summer of change at Fratton Park. Pompey had just missed out on promotion the previous spring and that side's two best players - Matt Clarke and Jamal Lowe - had been sold. Expectations remained high, though.

Raggett had signed on a season-long loan from Norwich City, set to play at the heart of the Portsmouth defence alongside sought-after free-agent acquisition Paul Downing.

They wouldn't start together again for nearly two years after that Coventry game.

It was a tough baptism. Raggett had missed much of the previous season on loan at Rotherham due to a broken ankle. Portsmouth were in rebuild mode, with a fanbase not willing to tolerate a mid-table finish and angry with manager Kenny Jackett.

The thing is Raggett is as tough as they come. Physically that's clear to see - he was missing a couple of teeth when he first arrived at Pompey.

But, perhaps more importantly, he's incredibly strong mentally and that is an underrated trait.

Let go by Gillingham's academy, he spent six years at Dover Athletic until getting his break with a move to Danny Cowley's Lincoln City.

A sensational promotion season including a famous FA Cup goal saw him sign for Norwich. But Championship appearances were limited, hence the loan to Portsmouth.

To go from the start he had at Fratton Park to become a cult hero is quite some effort.

Sean Raggett has scored 17 goals in his 227 appearances for Portsmouth

He battled back from that poor start to become a key part of a side that climbed from 17th to secure a play-off place in the Covid-shortened season before his loan was converted to a permanent deal.

It would be naïve to think things were straightforward from there.

Despite starting 45 league matches in his second season, there were strong murmurings that Cowley, by then Pompey boss, was willing to let him depart in the summer of 2021 before changing his mind. That must be disappointing for a player.

Even this year he's had to wait his turn, finding himself second choice to Regan Poole before Poole's serious injury, then dropped when Tom McIntyre was signed, only for McIntyre to pick up an injury on his debut.

Whenever needed to be called upon, Raggett is as dependable as they come.

All players talk about being ready to come in for their chance, but to be able to step up and play at a high level after a period on the bench isn't easy.

He may not always be the most elegant footballer but he's incredibly effective. Outstanding in the air, with exemplary concentration and a real determination to win.

He's adapted well to John Mousinho's style of play with the centre-backs starting attacks by passing forward and bringing the ball out from the back.

He's got a mean long shot on him and is pretty handy from the penalty spot. Various managers have sung his praises and he has the full respect of his team-mates.

Raggett is out of contract this summer. Poole and McIntyre will be back for next season. There is no guarantee Raggett will still be a Pompey player next year.

He arrived in 2019 with the mission of getting the club into the Championship. If he is to depart this summer, it would be fitting if that the mission was accomplished in the next 13 games.

The easy things in life can be taken for granted. It's the things you really have to battle for that are worth celebrating.