Lang 'top performer' for Portsmouth this season

Lang took his tally for the season to nine with his four goals against Coventry

Callum Lang's present to the Pompey faithful was a four-goal, gift-wrapped, 10/10 display on Saturday afternoon.

The Scouser almost doubled his goal tally for the season and has been widely credited by the fanbase to be the top performer in a Portsmouth shirt this season.

He possesses all the industry and dynamic determination that Pompey fans fall in love with so quickly, and is a man who throughout his time at the club thus far has performed as if he truly feels the weight of the shirt he wears.

He won't be the Christmas number one in terms of goals in the Championship, but is rapidly becoming a noticeable talent in the second tier.

Significantly, Lang as a set-piece threat is not what we would usually associate with his game, so it came as a welcome surprise as he rose highest to meet Freddie Potts' delivery for his fourth goal.

As a team more broadly, Pompey are beginning to frequent Fratton Park with a spring in our step.

For me there's no coincidence that Matt Ritchie's return to consistent starts in this Pompey team correlates positively with an uptick in performances and results - a handful of games aside - since our trip to Humberside on the first weekend of November.

He has an almost possessive can-do, homegrown attitude in everything he does on the pitch, and one would imagine off the pitch, in terms of driving the standards around the training ground day to day.

Andre Dozzell passed the Coventry midfielders off the pitch, Ryley Towler stepped up stoically after 11 consecutive games warming the bench and Zak Swanson locked down Coventry's in-form Ephron Mason-Clark admirably after the 10-minute opening scare.

The last man deserving of an almighty mention is the ever-dependable Nicolas Schmid.

There is no doubting his one-on-one heroism with Norman Bassette at 0-1 was a determining factor in the outcome of the game.

Schmid's foundations paved the way for Lang's brilliance. Festive joy at Fratton means it will be a Happy Christmas for Pompey fans all over the world.

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