Pompey ease to 3-0 victory over Plymouth
Pompey Academy returned to form with a convincing 3-0 victory over Youth Alliance League leaders Plymouth.
The match was a designated away fixture, but was switched to the Blues’ training base because their opponents had a waterlogged pitch.
Pompey took the lead before the break when the referee spotted a handball in the box and Brandon Joseph-Buadi (above) stepped up to score from the spot.
They doubled their advantage in the second half, with Liam Sayers collecting Kaleem Haitham’s pass and coolly slotting home.
Haitham should have found the target himself soon after, but after being fouled in the box, saw his penalty saved by the Plymouth keeper.
Instead it was substitute Harvey Bradbury who completed the scoring when he headed home Calvin Davies’ cross.
Academy coach Mikey Harris said: “It was a good performance from start to finish against a talented Plymouth side.
“We controlled the first half and created plenty of chances, but were unable to take any of them until we won the penalty.
“It was a more stretched and open affair after the interval, although we were still able to carve out plenty of openings.
“Plymouth had chances of their own, which you would expect – they’re at the top of the table for a reason.
“But we defended solidly and Nick Hall produced a good display between the sticks. He deserved his clean sheet.
“Liam took his goal well and Kaleem was unfortunate not to score after using his pace and power to win a penalty, but Harvey came off the bench to wrap up the victory.
“I was very pleased with the overall performance – it was a great reaction to the poor result against Swindon in our previous outing.
“But it’s important that we carry that through to our final Youth Alliance game against Newport on Saturday because if we win that, we might still be able to sneak into the Merit League qualification places.”
Pompey: Hall; Davies, Widdrington, Saidy, McDowell; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scutt (Woodward 66); Joseph-Buadi, Bedford (Bradbury 60), Haitham; Sayers