A late flurry of Newport goals was not enough to prevent Pompey Academy securing a 4-3 Youth Alliance League victory in south Wales. Chinedu Agu and Dane Bailey both found the target with long-range strikes to put the visitors into a commanding position. And when Beau Mullins netted from the spot following a foul on Agu before the break, the young Blues were cruising towards victory. Substitute Elisha Pfupa then bent the ball home in the second half and that proved crucial, with County scoring three times to ensure a nervy finale. Lead professional development phase coach Sam Hudson said: “We had a lot more shots and final third entries than our opponents throughout the first half. “We were a little bit sloppy with the ball, though, and some of our positioning wasn’t quite right. It was all getting a bit congested at the top end of the pitch. “But we were clinical and Chinedu and Dane both hit driving efforts that flew powerfully past the goalkeeper before Beau converted a penalty. “That meant it was comfortable at the break, although the scoreline didn’t perhaps tell the whole story of the first half. “Newport only had a couple of chances, but they were big ones, with Oscar Glover making a big save and Reggie Buckland a key block. “We asked for more from the boys because the press was too spread, which meant we were quite easy to play through at times. “Elisha came on and scored our fourth, but we didn’t manage the game well at all for the closing 25 minutes. “Newport got one back through a speculative lob after pinching the ball back in midfield and then added a couple more to ensure it became a mad dash towards the end. “We gave away too many needless free-kicks, while there wasn’t enough intensity when we were able to get up the pitch. “It’s pleasing to continue our recent run of scoring a lot of goals, but there are some things we need to tidy up to ensure a more rounded performance.” Pompey: Oscar Glover (Allen 71); Michael Ani, George Wilson (George Tregunna 71), Reggie Buckland, Beau Mullins; Ciaran Martin, Chinedu Agu; Nathaniel Chioma (Jermaine Osifo 60), Billy Gillooly (Connor 60), Brandon Downey (Elisha Pfupa 60); Dane Bailey
