Blues heading to the Isle of Wight A Pompey XI will face Newport (Isle of Wight) in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday, July 18. The clash at St George’s Park will kick-off at 7pm. Pompey can also confirm that the friendly matches at Sutton and Bognor have both been cancelled. Pompey's pre-season fixtures Date....................... Opposition............... Kick-Off Saturday, July 1....Salisbury (A)*...............3pm Saturday, July 8.....Havant & Waterlooville (A)..3pm Saturday, July 15....Eastleigh (A)...............3pm Tuesday, July 18.....Newport (IW) (A)*.......7pm Saturday, July 22....Bournemouth (H).......3pm Friday, July 28.........Cardiff City (A)............7pm *Pompey XI fixture
As we are playing Cardiff in the first round of the Carabao Cup, our friendly match with them on 28 July has now been cancelled. Instead we are playing away to Crawley Town on 29 July (unless their pitch is still frozen ).
Once upon a time it would have been a team from the PL. Instead these PL teams prefer to flaunt their wares to the dubious tastes of Asia and the USA. Shame on them when many a young fan would have loved to see his local team (Lincoln City for example) play a fullish strength Manchester United team in a pre-season friendly. Only chance these days is through one of the domestic cups. Even RM have played a friendly here, v Bournemouth, and I think that was a strong squad they put out that night. My feeling is that PL sides should play pre-season friendlies here against lower league opposition. However,I believe the tours to Asia and US are done to increase their fan base. But I ask what football loving fan is going to support Manchester United over the great Real Madrid and Barcelona. Not one!!! And do the PL clubs from 8th to 20th in the PL seriiously believe their fan base will increase with a tour to China? I think not.
Millwall!!!! Just perfect!!! So unless the teams face each other in a domestic cup competition, the agony of waiting for a match against the mighty Lions goes on.
Steve Claridge is making a return to first team football tomorrow when Pompey travel to Salisbury: https://www.salisburyfc.co.uk/index.php/news/827-steve-leads-from-the-front-for-pompey-opener 51 years old, five years since he retired and forced back into action because Salisbury's regular forwards are all on holiday and he couldn't get a replacement.
Salisbury 0 v 3 Pompey please log in to view this image Lalkovic, Davies and Close on target in Jackett's first game Pompey got pre-season off to a winning start thanks to three second half strikes against Salisbury. They dominated the opening 45 minutes at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium without managing to find a breakthrough. But substitutes Milan Lalkovic, Tom Davies and Ben Close all found the net after the break to get Kenny Jackett’s reign as Blues boss off to a decent opening. Salisbury manager – and former Pompey player and boss – Steve Claridge came out of retirement to lead the line for the hosts at the age of 51. However, it was the Blues who, unsurprisingly, looked the more dangerous side and Burgess headed narrowly wide from Gary Roberts’ corner in the opening stages. The hosts then had to scramble clear when the same duo combined well again just a few moments later. Adam May wasted a decent opportunity by volleying wildly past the post after Kal Naismith had laid the ball off for him. But it was Kyle Bennett looking the biggest threat for the Blues, with an array of tricks and flicks to open up the Salisbury defence. The League One side were just missing a finishing touch – understandable considering they had only returned to training a couple of days earlier. There was not much for former Salisbury loanee Alex Bass to deal with at the other end, although the keeper kept out a looping header from Lewis Benson on 20 minutes. Most of the action was taking place at the other end, however, and Naismith tested the handling of Whites stopper Charlie Searle with a clean strike. But the Blues were unable to find an opener under the warm Wiltshire sunshine and the sides went in level at the break. Half Time: Salisbury 0 Pompey 0 Pompey started the second half with a completely new side and soon set about trying to open the scoring. Curtis Main drew a regulation save from Searle, while Theo Widdrington fired over from 30 yards when a pass looked the better option. But the Blues were ahead on 57 minutes when Curtis Main fed LALKOVIC, who drew the keeper from his line and neatly slotted into the net. Nicke Kabamba almost doubled the advantage just before the hour mark, with a fierce effort from the right that looped narrowly over the bar. But a second goal did arrive from the resulting corner, as DAVIES rose highest to convert Carl Baker’s delivery. And the result was put beyond on doubt on 75 minutes when CLOSE hit a ferocious effort that cannoned in off the underside of the bar. Pompey kept pushing forward in the closing stages, but the game drifted towards its conclusion without anyone able to add to the scoring. Salisbury (4-1-4-1): Searle; Colson, Smith, Hart, Mundy; Whelan; Benson (c), Green, Roberts, Young; Claridge Subs: Ball, Herbert, Flint, Russell, Larbi, Corbridge, Burden, Mathews, McGregor Pompey (4-2-3-1): Bass (Collins 46); Evans (c) (Talbot 46), Burgess (Davies 46), Clarke (Whatmough 46), Haunstrup (Bedford 46); May (Widdrington 46), Rose (Close 46); Roberts (Baker 46), Bennett (Main 46), Lowe (Lalkovic 46); Naismith (Kabamba 46) Goals: Lalkovic 53, Davies 63, Close 75 Subs not used: D.Smith, Oxlade-Chamberlain Attendance: 1,766
Pompey have added a trip to Poole Town to their pre-season schedule. The Blues will travel to the Black Gold Stadium on Tuesday evening (July 11) for their third summer friendly. The fixture was originally pencilled in as an Academy match – however, this has now been upgraded to a Pompey XI game. A mixture of youngsters and first-team squad members will turn out as Kenny Jackett seeks to spread match minutes across his players. Last weekend the Blues kicked off their pre-season programme with a 3-0 victory at Salisbury, utilising 22 players. For tomorrow’s trip to the Hawks (3pm), the Pompey boss is seeking to reduce his squad numbers in an attempt to increase each players’ match involvement. The likelihood is they will operate with a strong squad at Westleigh Park for what is expected to attract another bumper gate for their neighbours. Those not featuring now have the opportunity for a run out at Poole little more than 72 hours later. With a current squad of 25, Jackett is aware of the necessity to juggle his players to ensure they are involved in pre-season games. The fixture at Poole will kick off at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £8 for adults, £5 for concessions and £3 for under-18s, while under-13s accompanied by adults will be given free admittance. The Blues visited non-league Poole in August 1988 as part of their pre-season under Alan Ball.
Pompey's pre-season friendly at Eastleigh due to take place this coming Saturday has been cancelled due to the dire state of their newly laid pitch. Instead, Pompey are taking a strong side to Bognor Regis, with a 1.30 pm kick off.
please log in to view this image POOLE TOWN 3 - 6 POMPEY Two goals apiece for Close, Main and Kabamba Pompey continued their winning start to pre-season – but they did not have it all their own way against Poole at the Black Gold Stadium. The non-league hosts roared into a two-goal lead before the Blues woke up and started to take control. Ben Close, Curtis Main and Nicke Kabamba all bagged a brace, in an entertaining – and extremely wet – contest. It was billed as a ‘Pompey XI’ fixture, but Jack Collins was the only academy player named in the starting line-up. There was a wide range of experience on show, however, with first-year pro Theo Widdrington at the back and Gary Roberts skippering the side. It certainly did not feel like a pre-season encounter, with the heat and sunshine of the past few days making way for steady rain throughout. Perhaps that affected the spirit of the visitors, who found themselves two goals down inside the opening seven minutes. First Luke Burbidge squared the ball for Olli Balmer to slot home for the National League South hosts. And Balmer soon returned the favour, as he teed-up Burbidge to double Poole’s advantage and leave the visitors stunned. Pompey soon got their act together, though, and Roberts curled a free-kick narrowly wide after Main had been felled 25 yards out. The deficit was reduced on 15 minutes, as Close lifted a clever pass over the top for KABAMBA to latch onto and coolly finish. Milan Lalkovic then drew a smart stop from Dolphins stopper Nick Hutchings, who is also the Blues’ academy goalkeeping coach. But the equaliser did arrived on the half-hour mark, with Lalkovic tricking his way inside from the left and cutting back for CLOSE to arrow into the bottom corner. It was the hosts who finished the half stronger, however, and Tony Lee sent an angled effort narrowly over. And he should really have scored just before the break, clearing the crossbar from close range after being gifted the ball by Matt Neale. Half Time: Poole 2 Pompey 2 Pompey almost forged ahead for the first time in the game early in the second half following a misjudgement from Hutchings. Jamal Lowe turned smartly and lobbed the ball towards goal, but it was headed from the line by a well-placed defender. Substitute Jez Bedford then surged half the length of the pitch, although his pass was just behind Main and the striker’s awkward shot was saved. They did take the lead just before the hour mark, though, as Roberts slipped a pass through to MAIN, who neatly swivelled and slotted home. That sparked a hectic period when three goals were scored in five minutes, as Poole drew level before Pompey pulled clear. First Luke Roberts managed to cut inside from the right and slot the ball under the diving Collins to make it 3-3. But the Blues were almost immediately back in front, with CLOSE grabbing his second of the evening with a crashing finish into the top corner. MAIN then also secured his brace from the penalty spot after Lowe had been brought down by Harvey Wright. And the goal-fest was completed just before the end, as Lowe found his fellow January signing KABAMBA to notch Pompey’s sixth. Poole (4-4-2): Hutchings; Moore, Cooper, Spetch (c), Smeeton; Burbidge, Richardson, Pettefer, Neale; Lee, Balmer Goals: Balmer 4, Burbidge 7, Roberts 65 Subs: Rees, Lindsay, Sanchese, Whisken, Leslie-Smith, Devlin, Ismajli, White, Roberts, Mitchell, Herrington, Wright, Davis Pompey (4-4-2): Collins; Talbot, Whatmough, Widdrington, Haunstrup (Bedford 46); Lowe, Close (Hancott 77), Roberts (c), Lalkovic; Kabamba, Main Goals: Kabamba 15, 89, Close 30, 68, Main 59, 70 (pen) Subs not used: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mayes Referee: Gary Parsons Attendance: 407
Bognor 0 Pompey 2 please log in to view this image Brett Pitman bagged a brace in his first Pompey appearance to secure another pre-season victory for Kenny Jackett’s side at Bognor. He netted at both ends of a contest that often drifted along, although fellow debutant Luke McGee made a fine stop in the second half. The Rocks were certainly not over-awed against their higher-level opponents, but they rarely threatened to secure a share of the spoils. The visitors made a bright start and Conor Chaplin hit a clean effort from 25 yards that flew narrowly past the post. And the diminutive striker was involved in the goal that saw them break the deadlock with just five minutes on the clock. He beat Rocks keeper Dan Lincoln to a poor Sami El-Abd back-pass and squared for PITMAN to slot home his first goal for the club. The advantage was almost doubled moments later, but Lincoln got down to palm clear Carl Baker’s angled drive. After that early flurry, however, the match soon settled into more traditional pre-season fare, with fans more interested in visiting the bar than watching what was unfolding on the pitch. Bognor started to enjoy more possession as the half progressed and Ollie Pearce was let down by a poor touch after latching onto a ball over the top. There was also a Baker corner at the other end that Christian Burgess was unable to divert on target. But it was pretty slow going until Pompey finally started to show more attacking intent just before the break. Adam May should have strengthened their lead, but fired a shot straight at Lincoln from inside the box. Bognor’s keeper then made sure he was not beaten at his near post from Gareth Evans’ drilled effort. Half Time: Bognor 0 Pompey 1 The second half got off to a sedate start, although Kyle Bennett flashed a long-range attempt narrowly wide. There was not much else to excite a healthy Nyewood Lane crowd, though, with clear-cut openings at a premium. Tom Davies headed a free-kick wide, while a shot from May was blocked by his former team-mate Chad Field. And an effort from Danny Rose just past the hour mark took a deflection and looped just wide of the post. It was certainly Pompey looking more likely to add to the scoring and a lunging Pitman could not quite connect with Bennett’s low delivery from the left. Bognor were left perturbed on 70 minutes when they tried to bring subbed defender El-Abd back on, only to be denied by the officials. They almost levelled soon after, though, when Davies’ slip let in Tommy Scutt, but McGee came to the rescue with a fine save. That was then matched by Lincoln at the other end, with the stopper keeping out Pitman’s acrobatic close-range flick after Davies had headed the ball towards goal. But PITMAN did wrap things up on 86 minutes, neatly controlling Baker’s dinked pass over the defence and slotting home his second of the afternoon. Bognor (4-2-3-1): Lincoln; Whyte (Davies 46), Field (Block 71), El-Abd (c) (Heath 46), Bird; Tuck, Lee (Beck 46); Parsons (Muitt 46), Suraci (Scutt 63), Pearce (Dolcetti 82); Wild (Rowlatt 46) Pompey (4-2-3-1): McGee; Evans, Burgess, Davies, Holmes-Dennis; May, Rose; Baker, Pitman (c), Bennett; Chaplin Goals: Pitman 5, 86 Subs not used: Bass, Talbot, Whatmough, Close, Lalkovic, Naismith, Main Referee: Gary Parsons Attendance: 1,800
please log in to view this image Newport (IW) 0 v 8 Pompey XI Nicke Kabamba hit five goals as a Pompey XI eased to a convincing victory over Wessex League outfit Newport (IW) at St George’s Park. Milan Lalkovic and Jamal Lowe had already given the visitors a convincing lead when the striker struck three times in seven minutes either side of the interval. Lowe then completed his brace before two more from Kabamba wrapped up a productive evening on the Isle of Wight. Pompey started brightly and Lowe’s angled drive was deflected into the side netting, while academy defender Matt Casey headed over from the resulting corner. A curling free-kick from Lalkovic was then saved by Newport’s barrel-chested keeper Gary Streeter following a foul on Ben Close. So it came as no surprise when the deadlock was broken on 16 minutes, as LALKOVIC cut inside from the left and drilled the ball into the bottom corner. Curtis Main should really have doubled the advantage, but could not connect with Jack Whatmough’s downwards header from just a few yards out. The hosts had their best chance on 31 minutes when, after winning a series of corners, Scott Sampson’s header had to be tipped over by Alex Bass. But the Blues soon strengthened their advantage, with LOWE on hand to roll home after Lalkovic’s shot had struck both post and keeper. Close and Main both had efforts saved by Streeter, while Lowe was unlucky to see his striker hit the crossbar. KABAMBA did find the target on 39 minutes, though, spinning and rifling into the net after Close had been gifted the ball by Oliver Wilson. And KABAMBA added a fourth Pompey goal just before the break with a fierce finish from just inside the box. Half Time: Newport (IW) 0 Pompey 4 KABAMBA then set about where he left off at the end of the first, completing a seven-minute hat-trick by slamming home after being picked out by Lowe. It was LOWE who then grabbed the sixth of the evening moments later, turning the home defence inside out before slotting past Streeter. There was a double switch just before the hour mark, with Jez Bedford and Casey making way for Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Widdrington. Pompey were still on top, although the sting was definitely being taken out of the encounter as the second half progressed. That did not mean the scoring had ended, though, and KABAMBA met Lowe’s corner to head in his fourth goal of the evening on 66 minutes. Newport switched their goalkeepers soon after that, bringing on Jamie Lingington – the son of the referee! And he was also picking the ball out of his net when – who else but – KABAMBA converted a corner from Lalkovic. Fans were starting to wonder whether Pompey would hit double figures, but they did not seem too disappointed at having to settle for eight unanswered goals. Newport (IW) (3-5-2): Streeter (c) (Linington 67); Pearce, Sampson, McDonough (Harmer 67); Ballantyne (Quigley 61), Taylor (Gane 67), Ja.Yanie (Wright 51), Sainsbury (Powell 51), Wilson (Walsh 61); Jo.Yanie (Tattersell 51), Urry (Wetherick 51) Pompey (4-4-2): Bass; Talbot (c), Whatmough, Casey (Widdrington 59), Haunstrup; Lowe, Bedford (Oxlade-Chamberlain 59), Close, Lalkovic; Main, Kabamba Goals: Lalkovic 16, Lowe 32, 49, Kabamba 39, 44, 46, 66, 78 Sub not used: Boughton Referee: James Linington
please log in to view this image One change for Pompey... Jack Whatmough comes in for the injured Christian Burgess in the final pre-season warm-up at Crawley. Pompey: Luke McGee; Gareth Evans, Tom Davies, Jack Whatmough; Tareiq Holmes-Dennis; Kal Naismith, Carl Baker, Danny Rose, Kyle Bennett; Brett Pitman (c), Conor Chaplin. Subs: Alex Bass, Drew Talbot, Brandon Haunstrup, Ben Close, Adam May, Milan Lalkovic, Jamal Lowe, Curtis Main, Nicke Kabamba. Former keeper triallist Glenn Morris and Andre Blackman are in the Crawley squad. Dean Cox has attracted Pompey interest in the past. Crawley: Morris, Young, Lelan, Connolly, Evina, Bulman, Yorwerth, Randall, Boldewijn, Verheydt, Roberts. Subs: Mersin, Arthur, Payne, Harrold, Cox, Blackman, Djalo, Clifford, Tajbakash, Sanoh, Camara. The players go through their paces in the rain at Broadfield Stadium please log in to view this image Players are on the pitch. please log in to view this image Crawley 1-0 up in the 3rd minute. Crawley make the breakthrough as McGee hesitates from Randall's corner and Verheydt bundles the ball in with his head from close range.
Crawley Town 1 Pompey 1. Superb free kick in the 55th. minute from Brett Pitman into the top corner of the net, from 25 yards out.
Crawley Town 1 Pompey 2. Second goal from Brett Pitman in the 75th. minute, from a pass by sub Milan Lalkovic (on for Conor Chaplin).
He'll be practically undroppable at this rate. Maybe he will be rested v Cardiff depending how seriously KJ takes the competition. Having said that I am sure KJ will want Pompey to put in a decent performance so I don't envisage a completely different starting 11 to the one that starts next Saturday.
Final whistle - 2-1 to PFC. Attendance was 1,603, of which 779 were Pompey fans. Crawley started the better of the two sides, but we weathered the storm, and came back strongly in the second half. Express FM commentators are saying that apart from two goal Brett Pitman, Tareiq Holmes-Dennis at left back, Kyle Bennett on the left wing, and Carl Baker in central midfield played very well. Apparently Baker was spraying accurate passes all over the pitch to his team mates. I hadn't realised that Crawley are managed by Australian international and ex-Liverpool winger Harry Kewell.
Literally as well as metaphorically. Hear there's some very indifferent weather over the UK at the moment! 36 here where I live and very hot! Going out now that it has cooled a little!
Wet all day here, and not so warm either. We had three weeks down in Dartmouth, Devon end of June to mid-July, and the weather was lovely with only one day with slight rain. As soon as we returned home, the weather deteriorated somewhat. Still, we have got Cowes Week starting today, so it's bound to be wet and windy!!
