Portsmouth made an encouraging start to the 2022/23 campaign last weekend as they sealed a point in their showdown with Sheffield Wednesday.

Pompey were seemingly on course to secure victory in this particular clash after Colby Bishop gave them a 3-2 lead in the second-half.

However, a late strike from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru rescued a draw for the Owls at Hillsborough.

Head coach Danny Cowley will be hoping that his side will be able to back up this display by defeating Lincoln City at Fratton Park on Saturday.

Despite the fact that he has managed to bolster his squad by making nine signings this summer, Cowley recently admitted in an interview with The News that he is looking to sign a winger between now and the end of the transfer window.

Portsmouth are no longer able to call upon the services of Marcus Harness who sealed a permanent move to Ipswich Town last month.

During his time at Pompey, the winger provided 41 direct goal contributions for the club in League One.

In need of a player who will be able to help fill the void left by Harness, Portsmouth are believed to be interested in a move for Joe Ward.

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, Pompey are eyeing a potential swoop for the Peterborough United man.

Whereas Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has suggested that Ward will be signing a new deal at the club this season, Portsmouth ought to consider testing the resolve of their League One rivals by submitting an offer for him in the coming weeks.

Ward helped Posh secure a 3-2 victory over Cheltenham Town last weekend by providing two assists at the Completely-Suzuki Stadium.

Particularly impressive at this level during Peterborough's promotion-winning 2020-21 campaign, Ward scored five goals and provided 13 assists in the third-tier as he averaged a WhoScored match rating of 7.16.

Clearly more than capable of delivering the goods in this division, the 26-year-old could potentially build a rapport with forwards Joe Pigott and Colby Bishop if he makes the move to Portsmouth.

Whereas Pompey will find it beneficial to source alternative targets to Ward in order to cover the possibility of missing out on the winger, they must step up this particular pursuit in the coming days.

By nailing their recruitment between now and September, Portsmouth could potentially go on to challenge for a top-six finish in League One under the guidance of Cowley.