Hard appointed Head of Medical at Portsmouth and completes 1000th game

STEVE HARD has been appointed Head of Medical at Portsmouth and worked on his 1,000th game.

Hard was Head Physio at Bournemouth for 15 years up until June 2021 and then worked for Crawley Town and the Premier League. He started with Pompey on Monday and Saturday’s 3-1 home win over Peterborough marked his 1,000th pro game.

Writing on LinkedIn, he said: “Quite an eventful week. To be honest, being stuck on 999 had been bugging me. A big thank you to everyone I’ve worked with over the years and a big shout out to my family.”

Head Physio Bobby Bacic, first-team physio Jack Hughes and Head of Sports Science Jeff Lewis all departed the League One club this summer.

Manager John Mousinho said: “Steve has worked at the top level, with Eddie Howe extensively, and brings a huge amount of experience, not just in terms of physiotherapy but also leading medical teams.

“Steve was at Bournemouth until Scott Parker came in, then went into private practice after that and we’re really pleased he decided to take the leap here.”It works out for him geographically and is a fantastic opportunity for both parties. We’re looking forward to pressing forward with a medical department and turning it into one which is really vibrant.

“It shows the intent and where we want to go as a football club, and where we want to take it. The structure is in place to make it more modern.

“This is a long-term appointment. We want Steve to stay here for many, many years. We want to make sure we get it right and build a world-class medical team from there.”

Pompey are also looking to appoint a new Lead Physio.