With a club laced in history, it is still quite hard to imagine Portsmouth in League Two, however after 3 gruelling years in the fourth tier of English football at Fratton Park, we have had time to get used to it.

As soon as ex-Chesterfield man Paul Cook was appointed, however, The South Coast club have looked much more impressive following his arrival.

Pompey, who bought in some extremely exciting signings in the pre season of the 2015/16 campaign, came agonisingly close to promotion from Sky Bet League Two last time around, snatched away from them in the closing minutes of stoppage time at Plymouth Argyle.

The Blues look destined for promotion once again. Reminiscent of last year, they are making very high profile signings, the likes of flair players such as Milan Lalkovic and Carl Baker, both from Walsall and MK Dons respectively – it seems as if the Pompey board are going all out to secure promotion this time around from the basement league.

But the major downfall as to why Pompey didn’t claim the ultimate prize last year was due to stuttering form and injuries, and the harsh, gruelling duration of Sky Bet League Two took its toll on Portsmouth, who lacked in firepower in the core of their team.

Here, Football League World writer George Harbey, identifies THREE players that will surprise a lot of people at Fratton this year, and will play integral parts in taking the Blues back up to where they belong....

 

Jack Whatmough

Having failed to deal with a lack of consistency that ultimately cost the club the main prize last term, Paul Cook has addressed the defensive issues already, signing Tom Davies from Accrington Stanley, who performed outstandingly last campaign.

Whatmough, however, has been at the Blues for 8 years, and has made 36 appearances for the first team, fairly impressive for a 19-year old.

What's more impressive though, is how the young defender has managed all of them appearances, having missed out 13 months of his career through a cruciate ligament injury.

The defender was reinstated by Cook last term, throwing him straight back into the starting 11 for the final, most important matches in Pompey's play off run in, which shows the amount of promise the young man has shown from his spell at Fratton Park.

This could result in a string of starts for the 19-year old this term, having already impressed Paul Cook enough to hand him a return back to the first team, the defender could be vital to all of Pompey's fortunes this campaign.

 

Conor Chaplin

The 19-year old forward, who has made a staggering breakthrough into the first team from youth level, is possibly one of the hottest young prospects England currently has.

Having made 39 appearances for the club, with 32 of them being sub appearances, the young forward has still managed to net 9 times, and is regarded a huge fan favourite at Fratton Park.

The young starlet who they label as "one of their own", deserves more than anybody under the Blues' ranks, a chance to become a more consistent member in the starting 11 this term.

Despite the signings of Curtis Main and Michael Smith from Doncaster Rovers and Swindon Town respectively, Chaplin has shown great endeavour to work hard and perform 110% for the team he loved as a child, which was arguably the biggest problem in Pompey's downfall last term.

Ben Close

Having made an array of appearances in the Blues' 11 last term, Close is another one of those players who came through Pompey's ranks.

After having a loan spell in the 14/15 campaign at Poole Town, the 19-year-old came back and was integrated into the first team by Cook following his arrival, making 7 appearances for the South Coast club last term, some against high-profile clubs such as Derby County and AFC Bournemouth in the cup competitions.

Close operates as a holding midfielder, however standing at 5 foot 9, his agility on the ball and playmaker ability breathes fresh air all around Pompey's play.

The signings of Carl Baker and Danny Rose this summer transfer window may force Close out of the first team on some occasions, however the 19-year old has shown emphatically that he deserves his chance in the starting 11. and if given the chance, could be a real asset for Pompey this time around.

So...what do you think Pompey fans? Do these 3 players all deserve a consistent run of games? Is Conor Chaplin capable of being top goalscorer this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!