vitor oliveira.jpg

Pre-season warm-up

Portimonense spent the past week in the north of Portugal near Penafiel for their mid-summer training camp with the start of the 2016/17 second division campaign only three weeks away.

New coach Vitor Oliveira (pictured) took the best part of his squad with four exceptions: Lumor and Stanley are yet to return to the Algarve, on-loan midfielder Fidelis Irhene is on duty with the Nigerian Olympic team and Fabricio has been granted compassionate leave following the premature death of his baby daughter.

With the latest addition of Brazilian defensive duo Chinaqui and Cassio, both 22 years of age, Portimonense’s latest promotion-challenging team is almost complete – only the acquisition of ex-Chaves Ivory Coast left-winger Stephane is still to be completed.

Meanwhile, the first practice game of this pre-season against fellow second division side Varzim was lost 2-1 with captain Ricardo Pessoa cancelling out the opposition’s early strike before the local victory was sealed early into the second half.

S.B.