Tarbuck and Close on target in cup clash
Pompey Academy beat AFC Wimbledon 2-1 at Furze Lane to stay in control of their Youth Alliance Cup group.
The hosts opened the scoring when Kim Jae Heon teed-up Bradley Tarbuck to fire home.
And Ben Close (pictured) then found the top corner with a superb strike from 30 yards to give the Blues a two-goal advantage at the break.
The Dons converted a free-kick after the interval to reduce the deficit, but Pompey held on to take all three points.
Academy coach Paul Hardyman said: “I was pleased with the result and also the performance.
“We had been working hard in training on things like getting the ball in wide areas and producing more shots and crosses, so it was pleasing to see that pay off.
“Wimbledon were physical and direct, but that’s exactly what we expected. They worked hard and had the better of the first 15 minutes.
“But then we started to get to grips with the game and Brad’s opener settled us down, while Ben’s effort has to be a contender for goal of the season – it was a magnificent finish.
“We played some really good football and didn’t really want the break to come because we knew Wimbledon would get a rocket at half-time.
“They changed their formation to try to stop us and pulled a goal back after they won a soft free-kick.
“That was a bit annoying because we had done a good job of keeping them quiet, but we got the job done and we’re in a good position to qualify for the knockout stages.”
Pompey: Raine; Field, Smart, Granger, Haunstrup; Rwakarambwe, Close (c), Tarasenko (Nilsen 46), Kim; Tarbuck, Horsburgh