Ipswich loanee handed first league start for two months in Portsmouth hunt for return to winning ways at Exeter

At Exeter, Joe Pigott starts for Pompey in League One for the first time in more than two months.

Danny Cowley’s hunt for a Pompey League One victory has prompted three changes at Exeter.

The Blues have triumphed once in their last 11 league fixtures, frustratingly slipping down the table following a fine start.

In search of the winning formula, he has recalled Sean Raggett, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Joe Pigott at St James Park this afternoon.

For Pigott, it represents a first league start for more than two months, while Tunnicliffe wasn’t even in the squad for their recent defeat to MK Dons.

Connor Ogilvie and Josh Koroma drop to the bench, while the ill Jay Mingi makes way for Tunnicliffe and isn’t named in the 18-man squad.

Joe Morrell returned to training yesterday having been laid low all week through illness and takes his place on the bench.

Meanwhile, illness-victim Dane Scarlett is again absent from the squad, while Louis Thompson and Tom Lowery have still to return from injury.

Pompey: Griffiths, Morrison, Raggett, Robertson, Dale, Hume, Tunnicliffe, Pack, Hackett, Bishop, Pigott.

Subs: Oluwayemi, Swanson, Ogilvie, Morrell, Jacobs, Koroma, Curtis.