Jay Sadler admits Portsmouth Women had no answers in Southampton drubbing
Portsmouth Women boss Jay Sadler rued another heavy derby defeat by Southampton, admitting his side often have not had the answers.
Sadler, who recently surpassed eight years leading the Blues girls with a huge transformation during that time, is steering his squad through a difficult Championship season.
The latest defeat to Saints, 4-0 at Westleigh Park [24 November], came in the group stage of the League Cup in which Pompey have already lost 6-1 to WSL outfit West Ham United.
Speaking to the official Portsmouth FC channels [26 November], Sadler said: “Moments of quality have come up against us in recent games and we’ve unfortunately not had the answers.
“We’ve tried to stay upbeat as much as possible, which has obviously been difficult this year for the players and staff off the back of last season.
“We’re trying to be something we haven’t been, which is pragmatic against the ball. And we do have moments where we make too many poor decisions. We have to take opportunities when we get them.”
Portsmouth Women still have time to recover
No one was under any illusions about how this season might pan out for Portsmouth Women.
Two heavy home derby defeats have soured the mood of steady progress, but ultimately, Sadler’s side still search for their first win in any competition.
The draw against Sheffield United at Westleigh Park aside, the Blues have come away with nothing from the rest of their matches this season which shows the true gulf between the Championship and regionalised National League.
Pompey won 20 of their 22 league games last campaign including a 10-1 thrashing of London Bees on the final day of the season, after having already celebrated the league title.
Fortunately for the struggling sides at Championship level, only one club will suffer relegation fate come the end of the season – and Pompey have to throw everything to the wind at avoiding the drop.
In other Portsmouth news, Andy Cullen delivers news on the Millwall postponement.
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