'Down days' - Blackpool loanee shares Portsmouth struggles as he vows to bounce back

The 24-year-old joined the Seasiders on loan from Middlesbrough earlier this month, and made his first appearance off the bench in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Huddersfield Town.

Throughout the first half of the current campaign, the winger spent time with Portsmouth, but failed to find the back of the net or provide an assist in 11 Championship appearances for the Hampshire outfit.

His final outing with Pompey came in a 3-0 defeat away to Bristol City over the Christmas period.

The fixture marked his first start for the Blues since the end of September, but it didn’t go as planned, with chants of ‘send him back’ directed towards him from the visiting fans at Ashton Gate.

Ahead of Blackpool’s trip to Exeter City, Silvera has reflected on the difficulties he faced at Fratton Park, and states he will learn from them going forward.

“That’s English football, maybe there has to be a scapegoat,” he said.

“It was unfortunate that it was like that, it is what it is. There was a change in system, and it didn’t quite suit me. I wanted to get into the team and adapt to the way he was playing, but it didn’t work out.

“I gave it my best, but there were down days. I was chucked into a difficult game away to Bristol City, we were down 3-0 at half time, and the fans have got to blame someone. You take it on the chin and move on.

“It’s something that can change you for sure. If you take it in the wrong way then it can be very negative, but the best thing to do is to go out and prove people wrong. You’ve got to keep learning from different experiences.”

‘Difficult’ times

Silvera admits he also faced a difficult time during his first taste of football in Europe.

Following stints in Australia with Western Sydney Wanderers Youth and Central Coast Mariners, he joined Paços de Ferreira in the Primeira Liga, but was struck by misfortune during his time at the Estádio da Mata Real.

“When I was 19, Portugal was difficult,” he added.

“I was there for three weeks feeling great, but in my first game one of the centre backs landed on my ankle, and I tore three muscles and damaged my ligaments, so I was out for around four-and-a-half months.

“That was a challenging period for me where I learnt a lot. It was difficult, and having no family there made it even harder, but I’m grateful for that opportunity as it helped me to get to this point now.

“When something like that comes up you’ve got to put your best foot forward, and unfortunately things happen that you can’t control.”

After returning to the Central Coast Mariners for a season, he became an A-League champion, before joining Middlesbrough in 2023.

During his first season at the Riverside Stadium, the left midfielder made 37 appearances for the North Yorkshire club in the Championship.