Pompey Academy suffered a second successive Youth Alliance League defeat, as they went down 3-1 against Stevenage at Copnor Road. The visitors struck three times after the break, meaning that Ashton Sizer’s header from a corner was no more than a consolation. Lead professional development phase coach Sam Hudson said: “The first half was fairly even and when we moved the ball properly, we enjoyed some decent entries into the final third. “We were building up consistently and weren’t being pressed particularly aggressively, but sometimes we needed to be a bit more patient and search for the right spaces. “The big message to the boys at the break was that we weren’t seeing any runs in behind and we were lacking any real penetration. “A lot of the passing was to feet and with our opponents looking very compact with their diamond, it was difficult to create much. “We conceded twice quite quickly in the second half, with the first coming from a corner where the Stevenage player was left unmarked. “It knocked the wind out of our sails when they went on to double their advantage and then add a third goal. “We put in some good crosses in the second half, including from Brandon Downey who came off the bench. “There were plenty of entries into their penalty box – the same number that our visitors had, but they just defended them with more numbers. “Stevenage were also much more purposeful with their openings and also went more direct at times. They just managed the game better than us. “We got one back from a corner routine with Nathaniel Chioma and Fraser Thomas for Ashton to convert – it was similar to his one against Romsey, but this time the ball found the top corner instead of the bar. “There was still time left in the game after that, but despite plenty of effort, we struggled to carve out any clear-cut chances. Overall, I have to say that we didn't do ourselves justice." Pompey: Conal McDermott; Dimani Kearney, Ashton Sizer (Tadi Bare 81), Reggie Buckland (George Wilson 62), Ciaran Martin; Jakub Jablonski, Fraser Thomas; Nathaniel Chioma, Chinedu Agu (Billy Gillooly 67), Max Hammond (Downey 62); Dane Bailey
