Portsmouth Women were crowned champions last season
Portsmouth Women were crowned champions last season

Portsmouth Women finally score league goal but lose fifth match in a row in thrashing

Dan Godfrey

Dan is a sports writer and broadcaster, who wrote for Breaking Media Limited's club sites including Pompey News between May 2024 and May 2025. Graduating from the University of Huddersfield in 2018 with First Class Honours in Sports Journalism, Dan has worked with several EFL clubs, as well as with BBC Radio, talkSPORT and TNT Sports. He previously resided in Sydney, Australia, where he continued his career as a freelancer in various sports. Dan was born and raised in Portsmouth, comes from a Pompey-supporting family, and was in attendance at both of the club's FA Cup finals in 2008 and 2010.

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Portsmouth Women are still finding it tough to adjust to the Championship, after suffering a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of London City Lionesses.

Jay Sadler's side remain bottom of the table without a point, although did finally score their first goal at this level in their history as Sophie Quirk fired in a second-half consolation in the capital on Sunday [6 October].

Pompey have now conceded 11 goals in the space of four days in all competitions, after their League Cup group-stage campaign began with a 6-1 loss at WSL outfit West Ham United last Wednesday [2 October].

Portsmouth Women struggling in ruthless division

Portsmouth Women were always going to find it difficult this season after such a quick transition into professional football.

But the first month of 2024-25 has been somewhat of a culture shock, with Sadler's girls forced to find it within themselves to gradually pick results up.

The one saving grace is that Sheffield United have suffered an almost equally poor start having lost their own first five, albeit with a slightly superior goal difference.

The two face off on 10 November with only one club set to be relegated back to the National League at the end of this season, but next up for Pompey is the eagerly anticipated South Coast derby against Southampton - and to get hammered at Fratton Park is not an option.

Westleigh Park, Portsmouth
Westleigh Park, the home of Portsmouth Women

Newcastle United were the club to come up alongside the Blues over the summer, but the resources are night and day, and the Magpies were always going to be equipped at this level and cannot really be compared - they also comfortably took three points from Westleigh Park last weekend [29 September].

It has been a baptism of fire, but hopefully beneficial in the long run for this Portsmouth side learning on the job.

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