Portsmouth secured a goalless draw against Havant & Waterlooville in their latest pre-season fixture at Westleigh Park, with goalkeeper Ben Killip making a crucial penalty save to deny Ryan Seager a late winner for the hosts.
Blues manager John Mousinho deployed a combination of experienced players and academy prospects against the Southern League side, with fit-again defender Ibane Bowat gaining valuable match minutes.
The encounter provided little excitement for the sizeable Westleigh Park attendance during a sluggish opening period, with clear-cut opportunities proving scarce.
Bowat nearly connected with Zak Swanson’s corner delivery but failed to make sufficient contact with his header attempt.
Hawks created the first meaningful chance on 17 minutes when Nana Owusu broke clear but directed a tame effort directly at Killip.
Former Hawks loanee Swann delivered a dangerous cross that evaded all players as it swept across the penalty area.
Killip was tested again shortly after, remaining composed to handle skipper Seager’s strike.
Trialist Nathan Ferguson provided a quality cross for Portsmouth, though Terry Devlin diverted the ball wide with his header.
The visitors began asserting greater attacking intent, with Swanson’s delivery finding Paddy Lane, who nodded into the side netting from an acute angle.
Ferguson then burst down the right flank before cutting back for Lane, whose deflected shot sailed past the upright.
Portsmouth FC maintained late pressure as Bowat directed Lane’s free-kick over the crossbar whilst Hawks defended resolutely.
Half-time: Hawks 0 Portsmouth 0
Academy pair Michael Ani and Fraser Thomas replaced Bowat and Swann at the interval.
Devlin had an early second-half opportunity to open the scoring but his attempt failed to seriously test Ben Dudzinski.
Lane struck cleanly from the penalty area’s edge, though his powerful effort lacked accuracy.
When Swanson’s free-kick found Jacob Farrell unmarked, the left-back should have directed his header on target.
Both players were substituted before the hour mark, with Dane Bailey and Beau Mullins taking their places.
Further changes followed as youngsters Elisha Pfupa, Billy Gilooly, Reggie Buckland, George Wilson, Jakub Jablonski and Kyran Sylvanus all entered the match.
This meant Portsmouth concluded with an entirely academy-based outfield lineup, with only goalkeeper Killip remaining from the senior squad.
The young players handled themselves admirably against more experienced opponents as Hawks sought to capitalise.
Harvey Bradbury repeatedly attempted to penetrate Portsmouth’s defence but was effectively dealt with by Buckland and Wilson.
Hawks earned a golden opportunity to claim victory in stoppage time after Reuben Austin was fouled in the area, but Killip produced an excellent save to deny Seager’s spot-kick.
The keeper then repelled Brendan Willson’s close-range header moments later to preserve the stalemate.
Hawks (4-4-2): Dudzinski (Trialist B 60); Kavanagh, Young, Willson, Laidlaw (Austin 60); Trialist A (Trialist D 80), Pendlebury, Aston, Owusu (Bradbury 72); Whittingham (Trialist C 72), Seager (c)
Sub not used: Goddard
Portsmouth (4-3-3): Killip (c); Ferguson (Wilson 65), Matthews (Buckland 65), Bowat (Ani 46), Farrell (Mullins 59); Devlin (Jablonski 68), Swanson (Bailey 59), Swann (Thomas 46); Lane (Gilooly 62), Agu (Sylvanus 76), Clout (Pfupa 62)
Sub not used: Glover
Manager John Mousinho expressed satisfaction with his young players’ performance after Portsmouth finished their pre-season encounter without a senior outfield player on the pitch.
Despite requiring Killip’s stoppage-time penalty save to secure the draw, Mousinho believed the result fairly reflected the contest’s balance.
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“They earned the penalty right at the death, though I felt it was a very evenly matched game regarding chances created,” Mousinho said.
“Neither side generated much at either end, so a draw was probably the appropriate outcome.
“However, there were more important objectives we sought from this match, and we were pleased with how our young players conducted themselves.
“It wasn’t simply that they were academy products, but four came from the under-16s experiencing their maiden taste of senior football.
“Many others were first-year scholars mixed with some second-years, and they all acquitted themselves well.
“It provided an excellent education for those youngsters to compete against what represents a very strong team at their level.
“To hold their own against some former professionals – and before a substantial Westleigh Park crowd – was a valuable opportunity.”
Bowat started following his absence throughout last season due to knee problems but was withdrawn at half-time.
“That was pre-planned following the minutes he received at Reading over the weekend,” Mousinho explained. “We want to ensure we manage his workload appropriately.
“He experienced some minor injuries during pre-season, but he’s now training consistently and we must build upon that foundation.”
