Pompey Academy saw their five-match winning run in the Merit League come to an end after being beaten at Stevenage. It was an inexperienced side fielded by the Blues in a 3-0 defeat, although they remain top of the table with one match left to play this season. Lead professional development phase coach Sam Hudson said: “It’s a disappointing result, but probably a fair one overall. “Stevenage created some quality chances, while we didn’t really have any clear-cut moments throughout the game. “The biggest disappointment was our inability to threaten with the ball, especially as we had been averaging just over two goals per game in the Merit League. “We had various absentees and that allowed the under-18s staff to take a closer look at some of the boys coming through in the schoolboy programme. “That made our average age for the squad just 16, while our opponents had mostly first and second-year scholars. “There were a couple of players from our under-16 side and then five from our under-15s, with a few making their debuts for the youth team, so it was quite a jump for them. “There was a lot of work-rate and endeavour from us out of possession and I can’t fault anyone’s effort. “But while there were a similar number of final third entries from both teams, it was Stevenage who had the clearer chances and that was the difference. “It’s perhaps to be expected given the mix of players we had involved, but we’re not using that as an excuse because all the boys right through our academy work with the same philosophy and curriculum. “So while we had a lot of inexperience on the pitch, we always expect the same fundamentals to be present. “We’ve got one more game left and we want to finish on a high, so hopefully we’ll have a positive result and performance against Cambridge.” Pompey: Malachi Osei-Owusu; Christian Ayres, Brian Quarm (Buckland 61), Jack Fox, Mullins (Jayden Keteku 46); Tayo Singerr, Mitch Aston, Dan Murray, Harry Clout; Maxwell Hurst, Destiny Ojo (Whitelock 80)
