Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has admitted that John Marquis could prove to be the difference for Portsmouth this season as the club look to launch a push for promotion in League One.

The forward managed to help Pompey seal all three points in their meeting with Sunderland last Saturday by bagging a brace in this particular fixture.

Danny Cowley's side managed to deliver the perfect response to their recent defeat to Burton Albion by beating the Black Cats 4-0 at Fratton Park.

Lee Brown and Marcus Harness also managed to find the back of the net for Portsmouth against Sunderland as the club climbed up to 11th in the League One standings.

Whilst the season is still in its infancy, Cowley will know that Pompey could potentially emerge as contenders for a top-two finish if Marquis starts to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Despite featuring on 11 occasions in League One for Pompey, the forward has only scored three goals during the current campaign.

Making reference to Marquis, Hendrie has suggested that the forward could play a major role for Portsmouth this season if he receives the service that he needs to thrive.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast about Marquis, the former Aston Villa midfielder said: "He's a player that's reliant on service and he got that at the weekend.

"I feel if they can play to his strengths, you know what you're going to get with John Marquis.

"He'll score you goals, he'll put himself about through that forward line and he can be the difference, he really can you know.

 

 

"If he can get anywhere near to the stats that he got when he was at Donny [Doncaster Rovers], you do certainly feel that puts Portsmouth in good stead."

Hendrie later added: "It was so important that he got his goals at the weekend because he can certainly give this club a big push."

The Verdict

Whilst Marquis has struggled for consistency this season, he was back to his best in Saturday's showdown with Sunderland and will now be keen to push on.

Certainly no stranger to life in this particular division, the forward knows exactly what it takes to compete at this level as he has scored 71 goals in League One during his career to date.

Having recorded a WhoScored match rating of 9.31 against Sunderland, Marquis will be brimming with confidence heading into Portsmouth's clash with Rotherham United on October 16th.

If Pompey are able to seal victory at the AESSEAL New York Stadium, they could use the momentum gained from this result to launch a push for promotion in the coming months.