please log in to view this image Adam May hit a hat-trick as a Pompey XI eased to a 5-1 victory over Bognor at Nyewood Lane. Several of the side had also played part of the friendly at Brighton’s training ground earlier in the day. But there was certainly no sluggishness on display as May broke the deadlock early in the first half. He added a second following Jimmy Muitt’s leveller and after Leon Maloney had extended the advantage, completed his treble. A deluge of substitutions affected the second half as a spectacle, while Dan Smith completed the rout late on. Pompey got off to a blistering start and took the lead before three minutes were on the clock. They stole possession and broke quickly up the pitch, with Bradley Lethbridge feeding a pass through to ADAM MAY, who calmly hit a first-time shot into the bottom corner. Bognor did not appear too shell-shocked, however, and carved out some dangerous openings in the early stages. But it was the Blues looking more likely to add to the scoring and Zabotti did well to claim a cross under pressure from Smith, while a fierce effort from Lethbridge then stung his fingertips. The Rocks found themselves level on 18 minutes, though, as Muitt collected the ball down the right and rounded Luke McGee before slotting home. And they almost snatched the lead seconds later, only for McGee to get down well and deny Doug Tuck, while Tommy Scutt wastefully blazed the loose ball wide. Instead it was the visitors who forged ahead – and once again it was ADAM MAY on the scoresheet. The midfielder collected a low cross from Evans and although his first shot was kept out by Zabotti, he bundled home at the second attempt. A third Pompey goal then arrived just before the break, despite the best efforts of Zabotti. The keeper kept out shots from Evans and LEON MALONEY, but the latter finally managed to bundle the ball home. Half Time: Bognor 1 Pompey XI 3 ADAM MAY had netted early in the first half – and he repeated the trick following the restart to complete his hat-trick. And Evans free-kick caused havoc in the Bognor box and the ball pinged about frantically before the midfielder steered it into the net. It had been a lively performance all evening for Evans, but he was denied a deserved goal when Zabotti came racing off his line to win the race for Smith’s threaded pass. A smattering of substitutions throughout the second half halted the game’s flow and it began to drift slightly. But Harvey Sparkes woke everyone up on 69 minutes with a bullet header form Muitt’s cross that McGee did well to keep out. That failed to spark an exciting conclusion, however, as the changes kept coming with the seconds ticking down. There was still time for the visitors to add a fifth, though, with DAN SMITH spinning sharply and rifling home from a narrow angle in the closing stages. Bognor (4-1-4-1): Zabotti; Whyte, Chad Field (Carroll 46), Wood, Calvin Davies; Block; Ridge (Parkinson 83), Tommy Scutt (Follea 76), Tuck, Sparkes; Muitt Goals: Muitt 18 Sub not used: Brady Pompey (4-4-2): McGee; Mnoga (Dandy 52), Burgess (c), Casey (Robb 77), Flint (Kavanagh 73); Evans, Read (Whiting 72), May, Maloney (Bridgman 67); Smith, Lethbridge (Stanley 64) Goals: May 3, 32, 47, Maloney 43, Smith 84 Sub not used: Leon Pitman Referee: Daniel Austin NB: Bognor included three former Pompey academy players - Chad Field, Calvin Davies & Tommy Scutt.
