Portsmouth Academy’s youngsters crashed out of the Hampshire Cup following a heartbreaking 7-6 penalty defeat after their second-round clash ended goalless.
The young Blues created the superior opportunities during the opening period, with Fraser Thomas firing narrowly wide before seeing another attempt pushed over the crossbar by goalkeeper Miles Bartram.
A Ciaran Martin corner sparked chaos in the Romsey penalty area, with the ball eventually cleared after a frantic scramble, whilst Ashton Sizer struck the woodwork with a well-directed header from Michael Ani’s cross in the final action of the first 45 minutes.
The second period offered little entertainment for the sizeable attendance, though Romsey’s Brandon Hill wasted a glorious chance by blazing over with only Conal McDermott to beat.
McDermott then produced an outstanding save to deny the hosts after their effort took a cruel deflection, but with neither side able to break the deadlock, the contest headed to a penalty shootout.
Both teams converted four of their opening five spot-kicks, with Reggie Buckland, Nathaniel Chioma, Ani and Beau Mullins all successful for Portsmouth.
Martin’s penalty was saved by Bartram, yet Hill immediately struck the post to send the shootout into sudden death.
Despite Dane Bailey and Dexter Lee both converting, Chinedu Agu fired wide before Aaron Scott stepped forward to seal victory for Romsey.
Lead professional development phase coach Sam Hudson reflected: “We’re clearly disappointed to bow out of the competition and penalties are always a dreadful way to lose.
“It wasn’t a brilliant match – it was very stop-start and Romsey did an excellent job disrupting our rhythm.
“We actually built play quite effectively and our issue was simply connecting midfield to the attacking third.
“I felt we competed admirably and I was proud of the boys for their commitment, the way they battled and how they handled the crowd.
“However, I expect us to be sharper in possession centrally – whether that’s midfielders, defenders stepping forward or strikers dropping deeper.”
Portsmouth: McDermott (c); Ani, Sizer, Wilson, Mullins; Martin, Buckland; Hammond (Lee 89), Thomas (Agu 75), Osifo (Chioma 61); Bailey
Substitutes not used: Glover, Pfupa
