Portsmouth FC may be surprised by League Two 6-assist star | OneFootball

Denver Hume has been excellent for Grimsby so far this season, something which may have come as a big surprise to Pompey.

Portsmouth FC may be surprised by the success of Denver Hume after his move from Fratton Park to join Grimsby Town.

Hume appears to have found his level in League Two. He has already become a key component of David Artell’s Mariners side, who have started the season in impressive fashion.

Now into his second campaign in Lincolnshire, Hume already has six assists to his name in League Two this term, leaving memories of his struggles on the South Coast very much in the past.

Hume failed to properly establish himself at Pompey over the course of his two years with the club, and his departure before the end of his contract hardly came as a surprise. However, the left-back now looks to be revitalised in the fourth tier.

Denver Hume has been excellent for Grimsby Town

Hume has been one of the standout performers for Grimsby so far this season.

He joined the club on a short-term deal last January after being released by Pompey and broke into Grimsby’s side immediately. After signing a new one-year deal over the summer, his performances have hit another level, and the defender is yet to miss a game in the league this term.

MK Dons’ Aaron Nemane is the only man in the entire division to have registered more assists than Hume’s six so far. The 26-year-old is also second in League Two on chances created, with only Colchester's Jack Payne bettering Hume's total of 36.

Hume’s ability to drive his team up the pitch from wide positions has been highlighted by the fact that only Kieran Green has completed more successful dribbles per 90 minutes for Grimsby in 2024/25.

It’s not just the creative side of his game that has shone though. He’s also completing 1.6 successful tackles per 90, which can only be bettered by midfielder George McEachran in the Mariners’ side.

Despite having not yet been at the club for a whole year, Hume is already a central figure within Artell’s thinking, and he has played a huge role in Grimsby’s early success.

The Mariners have arguably been one of League Two’s biggest shocks, as they are currently sat 5th, having been tipped to struggle over the summer.

Denver Hume’s form will come as a surprise to Pompey

However, it’s fair to say that Hume’s outstanding form for Grimsby will definitely have come as a surprise to Portsmouth.

The former Sunderland academy product never displayed any of this promise during his time at Pompey.

He made the move down South in January 2022, for a fee believed to be in the region of £200,000, according to the Sunderland Echo.

Hume made his debut for boyhood club Sunderland back in 2017/18 when the Black Cats were still in the Championship. He then established himself in the side over the course of their time in League One and made 32 appearances in the league during the Covid-curtailed 2019/20 season.

However, he gradually fell out of favour at Sunderland and made the switch to Pompey, having played just four league games in the 2021/22 season, the season in which the Black Cats went on to earn promotion back to the second tier at Wembley.

After a promising start to his young career – Hume had made 84 senior appearances by 23 years of age – it faltered drastically at Pompey, where he quickly became a bit of a forgotten man.

His Fratton Park career started brightly, with a run of six starts in seven games immediately after his transfer, but he picked up an injury in March 2022 and fell out of boss Danny Cowley’s reckoning.

Since starting the 1-0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle on 15th March, Hume had to wait until 17th December for his next start in the league.

Hume then failed to make a single appearance in the league for Pompey during the first half of last season and was eventually offloaded to Grimsby in January.

He left having made just 31 appearances in a Portsmouth shirt and played only 999 league minutes. By comparison, six members of Pompey’s current squad have already bettered that so far this season.

At 26, there is still time for Hume to breathe new life into his career. It evidently didn’t work out at Portsmouth, but his form for Grimsby in 2024/25 suggests it may not be too late for him to climb back up the leagues.