Bristol City and Portsmouth will share same Marlon Pack feeling: View | OneFootball

Marlon Pack has been exceptional since signing for Portsmouth in 2022 and Bristol City fans will share the same feeling around him.

In the modern era of football, experience can often be overlooked in the search for young developing players who will hold a high valuation in the future.

However, if you look at all the teams that have achieved something in recent years, they more often than not have a blend of both youth and experience to ensure they reach their maximum potential.

For Portsmouth, their promotion to League One in the 2023-24 season had the perfect balance, with the exciting youth of Abu Kamara and Paddy Lane being met by the EFL nous of players like Marlon Pack and Sean Raggett.

Pack was a particularly astute signing and his two seasons so far at Pompey have seen him become an integral figure in a similar vein to his time at Bristol City.

With his career now coming towards the latter stages, both clubs will always have fond memories of the central midfielder and how he helped them achieve their aspirations.

Marlon Pack's emergence at Bristol City was a catalyst for success

Before Marlon Pack signed a deal at Ashton Gate, he had a brilliant three-year spell at Cheltenham Town. In his time there, he helped his side achieve sixth and fifth-placed finishes in the 2011-12 and 2012–13 seasons respectively, and showed a real knack for scoring goals.

In the summer of 2013, though, he made the move down the road to Bristol City for a fee in the region of £100,000. For Cheltenham, they must have seen this as a decent-sized figure for the midfielder, but in hindsight, his performances for City far outweighed the minimal expense they paid for his services.

In six years on the red side of Bristol, he made 283 appearances, becoming a stalwart in central midfield. Whilst brilliant during their Championship years, many will argue his best season would be that of 2014-15, when the Robins finished top of League One with a staggering 99 points.

Not only did they achieve promotion, but they secured the EFL Trophy with Pack providing an inch-perfect corner in the final for Aden Flint to head in.

After those incredible achievements, Pack helped Bristol City retain their status in the Championship over a number of years and shared midfield duties alongside several different players.

A goal against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup will always live fondly in the memory and in his final season at Ashton Gate he was lucky enough to captain the side, a feat he would also achieve at Pompey.

Despite leaving to join bitter rivals Cardiff City in 2019, Pack will always be seen as a key figure at Bristol City and nobody can argue about how crucial a cog he was for Steve Cotterill and Lee Johnson.

Marlon Pack's Portsmouth return has brought similar success

Older and now much wiser, Marlon Pack returned to his boyhood club in 2022 after being released by Cardiff following his three-year spell there.

Upon his return, his first words to the fans were: "I know the city, I know what it means". It was the perfect re-arrival and his performances since have been synonymous with someone born and bred in the city.

Whilst the 2023-24 season was undoubtedly a standout, his return to life at Fratton Park was certainly a special one. His first goal was an absolute screamer as he curled a free-kick past Christian Walton in a 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town.

The one thing that has been apparent though about his time at Portsmouth is that experience is just crucial. Having already secured promotion from League One before, Pack used all his knowledge to help get Pompey promoted in 2024, performing superbly throughout the campaign.

In 3299 minutes of league football, the Portsmouth captain assisted nine goals and provided three himself, as they won the division by five points.

If appraisal from fans isn't enough, Pack can always go back to Pompey's head coach, who can't say enough good things about the midfielder.​​​​​​

"He gets that and that’s the sentiment part of it, but he’s also a really good player on the pitch," Mousinho said.

"Marlon is a coach as well on the pitch a lot of the time, he’s a leader in the dressing room, too.

"He ticks a lot of the boxers you want in a club captain."