An inexperienced Pompey Academy side were beaten 2-1 by Cheltenham at Copnor Road in Merit League One.
The visitors took the lead, but the Blues hit back to level in the second half when Mitch Aston’s cross was headed home by Tayo Singerr.
They fell behind again, though, and despite controlling possession, were unable to find another equaliser.
Lead professional development phase coach Sam Hudson said: “We fielded a very young side, with just one second year scholar on the pitch in each half.
“The rest of the team was made up of first years and players from our under-16 side, so it was very different from the cup final.
“We thought Cheltenham would set up in a low block, with a back five and then three more in front of that.
“Breaking that down is one of the hardest things you can do at any level of football and there were spells when we had a lot of the ball.
“We created some positive moments, but struggled to convert that into shots on target because there were so many bodies.
"The team we selected was very much one with next season in mind and it was nice for the lads to start forming some relationships on the pitch."
“It was disappointing to concede a goal from set-pieces in each half, although we dealt with Cheltenham’s counters.
“There weren’t a lot of minutes between our back four and they did well in managing the game for the most part.
“We created a bit more in the second half and had equalised, while there were some positive one-v-ones in the wide areas.
“Jayden Keteku and Nathanial Chioma attacked their men well in the first half, while Jermaine Osifo had a positive impact from the bench.
“There was a lot of momentum and it was just those final few actions that we found difficult to complete.
“The team we selected was very much one with next season in mind and it was nice for the lads to start forming some relationships on the pitch.
“There are a few who we haven’t coached much in the under-18s, so it’s also a good opportunity for us to get to know them. It will hopefully allow us to hit the ground running.”
Pompey: Black; Ani, Buckland (Howard 81), Martin, Mullins; Murray (Aston 46), Staight; Keteku, Singerr, Chioma (Agu 65); May (Osifo 65)
