BACK in those days of toil, Eddie Howe gained something of a reputation for his ability to pluck whole-hearted players from |non-league and mould them into the heroes of 2009’s Greatest Escape.

They became more than that, of course. Liam Feeney and Anton Robinson, from Salisbury and Weymouth, were part of the teams that gained promotion the following season and narrowly missed out on a place in the League One play-off final the following year.

Mark Molesley, signed on loan by Jimmy Quinn granted, was exactly the kind of player Howe needed as he took his first tentative steps on the managerial ladder. With a threadbare squad. And with a 17-point deduction and woeful start to overcome.

Molesley would have had a bigger part to play in happier times had it not been for a wretched run of injuries.

Fast forward three years and Howe has graduated from Conference potential to Swiss Super League gem-in-the-making.

Mohamed Coulibaly, of course, is unlikely to be thrown in at the deep end quite like Robinson, Molesley and Feeney were. Howe’s resources are so much more plentiful these days.

But the Senegalese’s impressive showings during pre-season have possibly surprised a few. Expectation is nullified when nobody has heard of you, after all.

Andrew Surman’s loan move from Norwich could see Coulibaly eased in to Championship life potentially more gently than he would have been.

He’s already a terrace favourite. The fans want to see him play. But Howe’s options in midfield are now such that he could employ a horses for courses mentality to each 90 minutes should he wish.

Howe’s ability to manage the workload on young hopefuls like Sam Matthews, Ryan Fraser and Coulibaly should see that particular trio prosper over time without the burdens experienced by Robinson, Feeney and Molesley.

  • Who would have thought the day would come when Cherries leapfrogged Portsmouth for middle billing on the local evening news?

That has been the topsy-turvy nature of South Coast football over the past few years.

But anyone writing off Portsmouth’s potential to rise from the ashes of financial meltdown needs their head examined.

Blues fans turned out in their numbers for the midweek pre-season friendly against Cherries at Dean Court. They danced. They played drums. John Westwood rang that bell to the point of near annoyance.

They even did a conga in the East Stand.

For supporters who have been through so much, a lot of which holds real empathy with Cherries fans, their positivity in the face of adversity can only be applauded.

They were expecting a near capacity crowd for Saturday’s League Two opener against Oxford United and had sold 11,000 season tickets by the end of last week.

Don’t forget, these are the same supporters who were piling up the M6 to places like Liverpool and Manchester not so long ago.

They are missed higher up the football pyramid and League Two should make the most of their vibrant, whole-hearted support while they can, for Portsmouth will be back at some point. You can bank on it.

  • Follow Neil on Twitter: @neilmeldrumecho