Ross McCrorie endured a miserable League One debut, with the Rangers loanee sent off as Kenny Jackett’s Pompey lost away at Shrewsbury Town.
Portsmouth manager Kenny Jackett has warned Ross McCrorie to avoid a repeat of his debut red card as the Rangers loanee was given his marching orders in Saturday’s defeat to Shrewsbury Town, while speaking to The News.
After suffering play-off heartbreak in May, Pompey would have been hoping for a statement win to start the new League One season in style.
But thanks to a long-range rocket from Wolves loanee Ryan Giles, the 2008 FA Cup winners suffered a disappointing loss on Shrewsbury soil in the third tier curtain raiser.
Yet Jackett’s side weren’t helped by a rather naive double-yellow for McCrorie, picking up his second booking after catching Shrews defender Donald Love in the face with a stray arm.
“I asked if he caught him and he said he did. He’s put the referee in a position to be able to give him a second yellow,” the former Millwall boss said.
“It’s a learning experience for him. Frustration can’t be shown like that because it’s put us down to 10 men and now he’s going to miss a game.”
McCrorie looked like a real coup on paper when Portsmouth snapped him up on a season-long loan from Rangers. The 21-year-old, after all, really caught the eye at Ibrox thanks to his ability to play in defensive midfield and centre-half.
Former Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha famously predicted that McCrorie, after just one senior appearance, could become one of the greatest defenders in Scottish football history, speaking to the Daily Record.
But, as we found out in Shrewsbury, McCrorie still has a lot to learn.
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