‘A lot of progress’ – Portsmouth Academy showing resilience with another win
Portsmouth Academy coach Sam Hudson praised his Under-18 side’s progress after a hard-fought win over Swindon Town on Saturday [5 October].
Tayo Singerr’s double and Jermaine Osifo’s goal were enough to grab a determined 3-2 win after coming from behind in the Professional Development League Cup clash, surviving a skied penalty from the Robins right at the death.
Pompey’s youngsters have now won three successive games and four of their last five in all competitions following a slow start.
Hudson told the official Portsmouth FC website [6 October]: “Our reaction [to going behind] was so pleasing and it gave us momentum, as we started to look dominant with and without the ball. Tayo scored again before the break and that’s six goals in his past three appearances, so he’s on a fine run of clinical form.
“The final half-hour was about defending deep, winning duels and tracking runners to hold on to what we had. Swindon got a lot of bodies forward and it looked like we’d done enough, then conceded a penalty that, luckily for us, was sent over.
“I think that a draw would probably have been a fair result, but I was pleased with the resilience on display, which is an area where we’ve shown a lot of progress since the start of the season.”
Portsmouth Academy finding their feet
With no fewer than 12 Under-18 scholars completing their deals with Portsmouth and leaving the club in the summer, it was always going to be a tough transition period for Hudson, the academy staff and the new charges.
With nine new players having signed scholarships at Fratton Park, the Blues are now beginning to emerge from this bedding-in period a stronger outfit, with development paramount over results at this level.
Regardless, for the teenage starlets involved who gave everything out on the pitch, to survive their lead and come away having ridden their luck but dug in for the win will feel rewarding.
An increasing number of Blues fans have become more concerned with the idea of not having an Under-21 side, which arguably cost the club some future potential when the clutch of teenagers were released in the summer, some of whom have now gone to Premier League setups.
A sustained run of progress from Hudson’s current crop could force the hand of the board over the course of the next year or two, with a bit of luck.
In other Portsmouth news, an official statement is made after an incident during the Oxford United game.
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