My best is still to come - Utaka

28.04.2008

John Utaka insists Portsmouth fans have not yet seen the best of him as he comes to the end of his first season in the Premier League.

The Nigerian striker arrived at Fratton Park last summer in a £7million transfer from French club Stade Rennes but he has scored just five goals.

The 26-year-old lines up against Blackburn at Fratton Park on Sunday after he returned from a hamstring injury to score in penultimate Sunday’s disappointing 3-1 defeat at Manchester City.

Utaka knows he needs to produce some consistent performances in the last three league games to nail down a place in boss Harry Redknapp’s FA Cup final team to face Cardiff on May 17.

Utaka missed the semi-final win at Wembley over West Brom through injury and admits: “The fans here have not seen the best of me yet. This season has been a learning exercise, just as I expected. Next season will be a lot brighter from me, that I promise.

“I wasn’t fit for the semi final but I was there cheering the team and I saw how wide the pitch was at Wembley. I thought it would suit me very well if I could make it for the final.”

Utaka has scored five goals in 28 starts in England after playing for leading clubs Racing Lens and Rennes in France, which followed a spell in Egypt with Ismaily, where he became a cult hero because of his pace and finishing.

Yet he admits: “The first thing about playing in England I remember was at Derby having to stop and catch my breath and ask myself, ‘just what exactly is going on here?’

“It was that fast - although I think I’ve become more used to that and the more physical style now - and far different from in France and Egypt.

“We’ve done well as a team, especially our great away record this season. “But what has been disappointing for me personally is that there have been times when I have tried to do something and knew the ability was there to do it but for some reason it didn’t work.”