Jay Sadler makes ‘fear’ admission after Portsmouth Women loss v Charlton Athletic
Portsmouth Women manager Jay Sadler has admitted he was “massively disappointed” with his side’s display in their loss to Charlton Athletic.
Pompey were given a rude awakening in their first Women’s Championship match at The Valley on Sunday (8 September) as they were well beaten 3-0, with all three strikes coming in the opening 24 minutes.
While it was never going to be easy for Sadler’s side to adapt to the second tier, even after a big summer, the manager was left frustrated believing his side played in “fear” of their opposition.
Speaking after the full-time whistle (8 September) Sadler said: “Massively disappointed with the opening 20 minutes especially.
“Finding ourselves 3-0 down with a mountain to climb, I think we gave them too much respect, I think we showed signs of fear if I’m being honest in that opening 24 minutes.
“We didn’t get pressure on their backline, our second and defensive lines were too high and we got exploited too many times in behind. Players jumping, not reading triggers, balls in behind and I think the three goals when you look back at them are collective and individual errors.
“We need to be better against the ball and I’m massively disappointed in that first 24 minutes.”
Jay Sadler reacts to Portsmouth defeat v Charlton at The Valley
While it won’t have been the start to their Championship campaign that Portsmouth would have been looking for, Sunday afternoon’s clash served as a reminder of just what sort of step Sadler’s side have taken.
The second tier is an extremely competitive division with several sides all competing for that single promotion spot and it was never going to be easier for a newly-promoted side to hit the ground running.
However, there were positives to take from the defeat, particularly in the second half where a slight chance of system allowed Sadler’s side to get a better foothold in the game and create a few moments of quality themselves.
With a home clash against Durham up next, Pompey have an opportunity to immediately bounce back with three points.
The visitors started well with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United however so this won’t be easy either.
In other Portsmouth news, Kusini Yengi must regain his spot in the Australia side after a nightmare game on Thursday
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