Blues beaten 6-1 at Oxford
Pompey Academy were also involved in a goal-heavy contest on Saturday.
But unlike the first team, they were on the wrong end of a 6-1 thrashing at Oxford in the Youth Alliance League.
Graham Bryan netted four times as the hosts ran riot at Abingdon, while Dejon Noel-Williams also chipped in with a brace.
The Blues fell behind after just four minutes through a simple tap-in and found themselves three goals down just past the half hour mark.
Tommy Scutt (pictured) did reduce the deficit when Harvey Bradbury’s shot was fumbled into his path by the United keeper.
But that was as good as it got for Pompey, who conceded again before the break and then saw Scutt’s tame second half penalty saved after Theo Widdrington had been brought down in the box.
And Oxford added two more goals to complete the rout and ensure it was a miserable day for the visitors.
Academy coach Mikey Harris said: “As the scoreline suggests, it was comfortably our worst performance of the season.
“It’s a really steep learning curve for the lads because we were well beaten by a decent Oxford side, who deserve a lot of credit.
“But we made it easy for them with our defending and as good as we were in adversity last week, we were nothing short of horrendous.
“When the second goal went in I don’t think we believed we could get anything from the game and a lot of them lost their way.
“It’s a wake-up call for them and I think it will also be a defining moment in some of their seasons.
“After being on the end of a 6-1 drubbing, they’re going to have to dust themselves down pretty quickly and provide a positive reaction.
“We’ll look through the DVD on Monday and the lads will have the opportunity to reflect on what was a very difficult experience.
“Those experiences should help to make you stronger and improve as a player, but I’m disappointed with them as a group because they’re much better than that.”
Pompey: Hall (Collins 77); Chandler (Brooks 62), Saidy (Casey 62), Wakley, McDowell; Read (Mayes 62), Widdrington (c); Smith, Bedford, Scutt; Bradbury