Akademiet tok seg enkelt videre til 3. runde i FA Youth Cup. Nå venter Liverpool på bortebane i neste runde.
AKADEMI: Som ventet tok Pompeys unggutter seg greit videre fra 2. runde i FA Youth Cup. Borte mot Cray ble det seier 4-0 til Mark Kellys gutter.
Bradley Lethbridge, som nylig debuterte på førstelaget i Checkatrade Trophy, scoret Pompeys første da han utnyttet en stor keepertabbe. Leon Maloney doblet ledelsen fra straffemerket og i 2. omgang scoret også James Whiting og Oscar Johnston.
Pompey (4-2-3-1): Pitman; Kavanagh, Robb (Kelly 75), Mnoga, Flint; Whiting, Read (c); Maloney (Stanley 60), Bridgman (Teggart 60), Johnston; Lethbridge
Akademisjef Mark Kelly: «It was a professional job and the boys got the result that their performance truly deserved. We got goals from lots of different areas of the pitch and we probably should have had another three or four.»
“It was pleasing to see that we were on the front foot for most of the night and we put them under a lot of pressure. We train on 3G pitches at the university at times, so we’re used to it and that didn’t cause us any problems. You’re not going to get 90 minutes of it going entirely your way, though, and fair play to Cray because they stuck in there. There were a few chances for them at 3-0 and we had to clear a couple from the line, but we were in control at that stage and then nicked a fourth.
“We were the favourites and that adds pressure, but you have to deal with that and I thought we did it very well.»
Liverpool på bortebane i neste runde
Etter å ha slått Bristol Rovers og Cray Wanderers i de to første rundene, blir det nå langt tøffere for Pompeys unggutter. I 3. runde blir det bortekamp mot Liverpool.
Kampen skal spilles tirsdag 18. desember, klokka 20.00 skandinavisk tid. Liverpool har hatt walk over i de to første rundene, slik Premier League-lagene også har det i FA-cupen.
Liverpool har tidligere vunnet FA Youth Cup i 1996, 2006 og 2007.
– The boys are really looking forward to it and I’m sure they’ll be as keen as mustard to go and perform there, sier Mark Kelly.