Dan Gifford bagged a brace as Pompey Academy secured a 2-1 victory at Cheltenham in the Youth Alliance League.
The striker pounced on an error from the home side’s goalkeeper to open the scoring late in the first half.
And Gifford (pictured) wrapped things up after the break, playing off the last defender to break the offside trap and calmly slot home.
The Robins reduced their deficit with a free-kick right at the very end, but it was too late to affect the outcome.
Professional development phase coach Liam Daish said: “We had a very young side and including our substitute keeper Will Tillman, there were eight under-16 players in our squad.
"The younger lads have been training with us while we’ve been short on numbers and have integrated well with the older players."
“But it was a really competitive encounter – as it always is against Cheltenham – and an entertaining game to watch.
“I was pleased with the committed performance from the lads and it was a real positive to see Dan get off the mark for the season.
“The younger lads have been training with us while we’ve been short on numbers and have integrated well with the older players.
“It’s great to see that they’ve been able to hold their own. It’s useful experience for them and bodes well.
“I was also pleased to see Toby Steward perform well after returning from an England training camp. He was really calm and looked the part.”
Pompey: Steward; Dockerill, Spurway, Fox; Howell (Hurst 27), Ashton, Jewitt-White, Laidlaw (Taynor 74); Bridgman, Gifford, Williams (Bosaka 74)
✌️ Dan Gifford at the double
— Portsmouth FC Academy (@PompeyAcademy) August 24, 2021
🐦 A brace from the striker earned us a 2-1 victory at Cheltenham#Pompey pic.twitter.com/Wmo7vCsrxJ