Connor Ogilvie’s brilliant strike secured a 1-0 friendly victory for Portsmouth against Crawley Town at Copnor Road after the original fixture was cancelled due to heavy rain.
The encounter at Pompey’s training ground was hastily organised following the postponement of Saturday’s scheduled match at Broadfield Stadium, where torrential overnight downpours in West Sussex left the pitch unplayable.
The Blues dominated proceedings throughout, creating numerous opportunities particularly in the opening period, with Ogilvie’s moment of brilliance providing the perfect highlight for what should have been played in front of supporters.
Crawley posed the first threat when Kabongo Tshimanga broke through on goal, but Nicolas Schmid was equal to the task with a solid save.
Portsmouth FC quickly responded and nearly took the lead when Josh Murphy’s cross was parried by Harvey Davies, though the goalkeeper recovered swiftly to deny Adrian Segečić from pouncing on the rebound.
New signing John Swift, making his debut following his midweek arrival, demonstrated his quality with a sweeping long pass to Paddy Lane, who teed up Murphy for an effort that sailed wide of the target.
The combination play continued to flow as Lane again found Murphy in space, but this time Davies was alert to keep out the winger’s attempt.
The breakthrough arrived from the resulting corner kick, which was only partially cleared to the edge of the penalty area where Ogilvie collected possession, swivelled sharply, and unleashed a fierce drive into the net.
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Portsmouth nearly doubled their advantage immediately afterwards when the energetic Segečić saw his strike cannon off the foot of the post.
Murphy then turned provider, delivering a cross for Lane whose header required a goal-line clearance to keep Crawley in the contest.
The hosts finished the first half strongly, with Colby Bishop forcing Davies into action before Murphy’s corner-kick effort was comfortably saved.
Half Time: Portsmouth 1 Crawley 0
The second period began with Portsmouth seeking to extend their lead, and Murphy tested Davies once more after latching onto Ogilvie’s precise through ball.
Another Murphy attempt was thwarted when Segečić whipped in a dangerous delivery across the six-yard box, whilst the same player dragged a subsequent effort wide as the Blues maintained their dominance.
The tempo of the match declined significantly as both managers made wholesale changes, with John Mousinho utilising 21 different players throughout the encounter.
Academy prospects Michael Ani and Fraser Thomas were among those introduced, whilst Hayden Matthews returned to the pitch after an earlier substitution to ensure all three centre-halves completed a full hour of action.
The game appeared to be petering out when Crawley nearly snatched an equaliser through Ben Radcliffe, whose effort struck the woodwork after the visitors won possession in a dangerous area.
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Portsmouth (4-2-3-1): Schmid (Whiteman 46); Williams (Swanson 46), Matthews (Poole 31), Shaughnessy (Matthews 62), Ogilvie (Farrell 66); Pack (c) (Thomas 77), Swift (Dozzell 31); Lane (Devlin 46), Segečić (Ani 66), Murphy (Clout 62); Bishop (Waddingham 56)
Goal: Ogilvie 30
Referee: Matt Russell
