Yakubu promises goals to keep Pompey up

Aiyegbeni Yakubu has vowed to return from Africa and deliver the goals to fire Portsmouth to Premiership safety.

The Nigerian international striker, the inspiration behind Pompey’s 4-2 victory against Manchester City at Fratton Park, is expected to feature at Bolton on Saturday before jetting to Tunisia for the African Nations Cup.

Harry Redknapp has made it very clear he would rather the muscular forward stays put on the south coast – but the good news for the Pompey boss is Yakubu’s determination to keep delivering the goods after his month away.

He said: “I didn’t score for a long time but I got two against Man City and my confidence is back.

“I’m getting better in every game and when you score goals, your confidence grows.

“As a striker, my job is to score and I want to do that more when I come back to Portsmouth.

“We want to stay in the Premiership, not go down to the first division and, if we keep playing like we did against Man City, we’ll stay up.

“I’m waiting for the final decision about when I join up with Nigeria. I want to stay for the Bolton game and it’s better for me and the club if I do.”

Redknapp, who would also have lost Amdy Faye for the African Nations Cup had the Senegalese international not been sidelined by injury, has called for the tournament to be moved from the January slot which is causing growing problems for Premiership clubs.

“It’s a crazy situation that players go away at this time of year so it needs to be played in the summer,” Redknapp said.

“That way it will be in-line with the European Championships. And it’s got to happen.

“Surely African countries want their players to play all around the world - and if they want to do that, they have to do something with the competition.”

Yakubu’s absence has intensified Redknapp’s search for a striker – a recruitment drive which took him to Italy on a 6am flight from Heathrow today.

“The problem I’ve got is up front and I’m very short there,” he said.

“I’m looking at a player I could get on loan who would score goals in the Premier League. But you need a miracle to find someone like that.”

In the action-packed encounter at Fratton Park, Pompey took a 19th minute lead through Dejan Stefanovic’s header.

However, City bagged a classy brace to take a 2-1 interval lead, with Nicolas Anelka equalising a minute after the home side’s strike and Antoine Sibierski rifling in a second on the stroke of half time.

Kevin Keegan’s side also hit the bar three times and paid the ultimate penalty for their fractionally inaccurate finishing as Pompey mounted a stirring second-half comeback.

Yakubu tucked the ball home five minutes after the break, with Teddy Sheringham flashing home a header six minutes later and his Nigerian striker partner clinching a 4-2 victory with his classy strike 14 minutes from the whistle.

Despite the half a dozen goals on show, the game was overshadowed by the shoulder injury which will sideline City’s veteran goalkeeper David Seaman for up to two months – and an astonishing outburst by Eyal Berkovic.

The Pompey midfielder, who moved from City on Friday, impressed on his debut but launched an outspoken attack on Keegan immediately after the game, calling for the Blues boss to be sacked.

Despite the controversy which surrounded his first appearance in a Pompey shirt, the midfielder is relishing his new lease of life under Redknapp.

“I’m very happy to be at my new club with a new challenge,” he said.