After League One rivals Portsmouth announced the signing of John Marquis from Doncaster Rovers, it could leave 31-year-old striker Bret Pitman further down the pecking order at the club.
Without Pitman, Pompey still have goals. Marquis netted 21 goals for Donny last season, while Gareth Evans (10), Jamal Lowe (15) and Ollie Hawkins (7) all contributed. They’ve also got Ellis Harrison who, despite an injury-hit time at Ipswich, was handy in front of goal whilst at Bristol Rovers.
Despite the arrival of Ben Woodburn, Oxford are still on the hunt for a striker and Pitman would be a perfect fit in a growing U’s squad. The striker has been with the South Coast club since 2017 and has netted an impressive 35 goals from 70 league appearances.
Pitman began his career at AFC Bournemouth 59 goals in 173 appearances. After relegation to League Two, the striker netted 17 goals, which was bettered the following season when he scored 26.
Following his good form, Pitman made the move to the Championship to join Bristol City. During his time with the Robins, the striker netted 20 goals in 77 appearances, including 13 in his first season.
But after failing to establish himself as a first-team regular, despite consistently scoring, Pitman returned to Bournemouth on loan where he scored three from six. He made the switch permanent and scored 19 in 26 as the club won promotion from League One.
During his time in the Championship, he initially struggled, but in his second season, he scored 13 times as the Cherries won promotion to the Premier League.
Despite achieving promotion to the top flight, Pitman joined Ipswich Town in the Championship. During his time at Portman Road, the striker scored 14 goals in 61 appearances before signing for Portsmouth in League One.
Pitman netted a brace on his Pompey debut and has a sensational goal to game ratio for the club, where he scored 24 goals in his debut season.
Even at 31-years-old, the striker wants first-team football and that could be limited at Portsmouth this season as they aim for promotion. At Oxford, he would have that. Jamie Mackie won’t feature all season, and Woodburn may be preferred on either wing or perhaps behind the striker.
