Pompey began the new Youth Alliance League campaign with a 2-0 defeat against last season’s champions Bournemouth at Fareham’s Cams Alders.
On a sweltering day on the south coast, the visitors took the lead through a neat clipped finish from Lewis Brown.
The Blues fought back and had plenty of chances to level the contest, with Toure Williams and Brown both clearing efforts from the line.
But the Cherries made sure of all three points when Daniel Adu-Adjei’s centre was inadvertently turned into the net by a Pompey defender.
Lead professional development phase coach Zesh Rehman said: “The major positive from the game was to see players returning from long-term injuries.
“Adam Payce and Elliott Simpson both came through 90 minutes, while Josh Dockerill got more than an hour on the pitch.
"The major positive from the game was to see players returning from long-term injuries."
“With Spencer Spurway also to come back, I think we’ll be in a strong position and have competition for places.
“We need to be a bit more ruthless in both boxes and will keep working on cutting out individual errors.
“You prepare for certain scenarios that can happen and so it’s about taking that training into our matches.
“It was a very hot day and a good test of our fitness levels. It was tough out there, although that’s not an excuse because it’s the same for both teams.
“We’re just looking to be a bit stronger mentally, but there were encouraging signs from us and we had some clear-cut chances that we just couldn’t put away.”
Pompey: Osei-Owusu; Dockerill (Johnson 66), Bosaka, Fox, Laidlaw; Murray (Aston 71), Simpson, Payce; Mottoh, Hurst (Kamavuako 46), Keteku (Howell 46)