Free Agent
| Pompey have signed Gareth Evans on a one-year deal. The 27-year-old winger has been training with the Blues throughout pre-season and netted in the friendly victories against Coventry and Woking. Evans started his career at Crewe and later turned out for Macclesfield, Bradford and Rotherham. He moved to Fleetwood in January 2013 and scored 12 goals in 106 appearances, helping them win promotion into League One. |
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Due to those wonderful people at BT making the original BT-TV pretty much a waste of time I have now moved over to their YouView platform and can now access Netflix!!
On first impressions it certainly seems to offer more than the old TV On Demand service and a good selection of films as well.
The real test is how often new stuff arrives.
Friendly
Both goals arrived in the first half – and both were scored by triallists.
Gareth Evans opened the scoring with a well-taken strike, while Matt Clarke headed home a second minutes later.
There was a new face in the visitors’ side, with triallist Brian Murphy featuring between the sticks following Michael Poke’s loan switch to Eastleigh.
Gary Roberts was handed a start after recovering from a knee injury and had a couple of early chances.
First he curled a free-kick narrowly past the post after Evans had been felled and then scuffed another shot wide.
Conor Chaplin went even closer to breaking the deadlock on 11 minutes when he smashed the ball against the underside of the crossbar.
The conditions were not ideal, with heavy rain causing both sets of players to slide on the wet surface.
But it was Pompey who dealt with them better and the visitors forged ahead on 28 minutes.
Kal Naismith found EVANS with an incisive pass and the winger smashed an unstoppable shot past the grasp of Cards keeper Nick Hamann and into the net.
He almost added another moments later, only for Hamann to get down and save, with the ball hacked behind.
But the Blues did double their advantage from the resulting corner, as CLARKE rose to head home an Evans corner.
Pompey continued to dominate as the half drew to a conclusion, but Chaplin blazed wildly over to deny them a third.
Half Time
Woking 0
Portsmouth 2
Cook made one change at the interval, with Ben Davies replacing fellow triallist Frank van der Struijk at right-back.
The hosts had offered little going forward before the break, but substitute John Goddard threatened after the restart.
Twice he caught the ball sweetly and sent it goalwards and twice he was denied by the well-placed Murphy.
And Murphy made an even better stop to deny the midfielder on 55 minutes, getting down low to his left to palm clear an angled effort.
But the Blues then almost strengthened their advantage, with Evans charging in at the far post to meet Roberts’ pass and seeing his fierce drive just about kept out by substitute stopper Jake Cole.
It was still Woking who were creating more opportunities, although Murphy was not overly troubled by Giuseppe Sole’s strike on 79 minutes.
Pompey finished the game on the front foot, however, with Evans and Enda Stevens both failing to find the target following bright attacking moves.
But they were unable to add to the lead and Woking almost grabbed a late consolation as Scott Rendell’s effort was deflected onto the post.
Woking (3-4-1-2): Hamann (Cole 46); Yakubu, Ricketts (c) (Beckles 75), Saah; Caprice (Kouassi 59), Jones, Poku (Murtagh 46), Arthur; Smith (Goddard 46); Rendell, Banya (Sole 59)
Pompey (4-2-3-1): Murphy; van der Struijk (Davies 46), Burgess (Webster 82), Clarke, Stevens; Atangana, Doyle (c); Evans, Roberts, Naismith (Close 73); Chaplin (Haunstrup 82)
Goals: Evans 28, Clarke 32
Subs not used: Jones, Robinson, Hollands
Referee: Charlie Breakspear
Attendance: 1,562
Friendly
Conor Chaplin grabbed an early opener to take his goal tally to three in the space of just four days.
And triallist Gareth Evans added a second just before the break, while George Thomas pulled one back for City after it.
Evans was not the only player trying to win a contract at Fratton Park, with new faces Frank van der Struijk and Matt Clarke also on show.
The ‘home’ side did not take long to find their feet, with CHAPLIN opening the scoring after just four minutes.
The teenager was on hand to drill home after a far-post header from skipper Paul Robinson had been well saved by Lee Burge.
There was not an abundance of chances throughout the rest of the half, although it was Pompey who looked the most threatening.
Coventry’s best opportunity came on 12 minutes when a 20-yard volley from Thomas was plucked from the air by a diving Paul Jones.
At the other end, Burge comfortably dealt with a deflected Theo Robinson drive, while Chaplin curled a shot over the bar.
The Blues were dominating possession, but it looked like they would have just a one-goal advantage at the break.
However, on the stroke of half-time, Chaplin’s precise pass was seized upon by EVANS, who calmly stroked the ball into the bottom corner.
Half Time
Portsmouth 2
Coventry City 0
Coventry might not have troubled Pompey before the break, but they came charging out of the blocks after the restart.
First Jones had to be alert to beat away a shot from Thomas and then Paul Robinson made a sliding challenge to deny James Maddison.
And City reduced the deficit on 53 minutes, courtesy of a superb effort from Thomas, who expertly brought down Reda Johnson’s pass before chipping the onrushing Jones.
Pompey immediately tried to hit back and an Evans free-kick from out wide crept through a host of bodies before being nervously dealt with by Burge.
They had recovered from a shaky start and were suddenly looking the more dangerous side again.
It took a brave challenge from Jordan Willis to prevent Kal Naismith from converting an Evans pass at the far post.
The impressive Evans than had an opportunity of his own, with a fierce drive that was well saved by Burge.
A deluge of substitutions interrupted the flow of the game, with Paul Cook utilising the opportunity to look at the rest of his squad.
Poke was one of them and he denied City an equaliser by tipping Aaron Martin’s bullet header onto the crossbar.
And Pompey saw out the remaining few minutes to secure their second friendly victory in succession.
Pompey (4-2-3-1): Jones (Poke 76); van der Struijk (Davies 69), P.Robinson (c) (Webster 58), Clarke (Burgess 74), Stevens (Haunstrup 74); Atangana (Doyle 69), Hollands (Close 68); Evans (Nilsen 82), Chaplin (Bennett 68), Naismith (Field 89); T.Robinson (Stockley 64)
Goals: Chaplin 4, Evans 45
Sub not used: Tubbs
Coventry (4-2-3-1): Burge; Willis (Devon Kelly-Evans 74), Ricketts (Finch 80), Johnson (Martin 56), Dion Kelly-Evans; Vincelot (Lawton 68), Fleck (c) (Harries 80); Maddison (Swanson 56), Tudgay (Lameiras 46), O’Brien (Stevenson 68); Thomas
Goals: Thomas 53
Subs not used: Charles-Cook, Sambou, Shipley
Friendly
The teenage forward had already opened the scoring early on and the win seemed assured when triallist Theo Robinson added another after the interval.
But Justin Bennett and Jamie White scored in quick succession to pull the National League South side level.
There was still left for the Blues to snatch a winner, however, and it was the impressive Chaplin who got it.
There were not an abundance of chances in the opening stages as the game took a while to get into gear.
But CHAPLIN broke the deadlock with the first clear-cut opening on 13 minutes, guiding the ball home following good work from Kal Naismith down the right.
Naismith had an opportunity to add his own name to the scoresheet moments later, but Nathan Ashmore got down low to his right to deny the winger.
Robinson was next to go close on 36 minutes, with his goal-bound effort from the edge of the area blocked by a well-placed Sam Pearce.
Jayden Stockley then had the ball taken off his feet as he prepared to shoot following a scramble in the Borough box.
Gosport had not created much, but they did forge a couple of openings late in the first half.
First Tom Dunford’s drive was deflected over the bar and then Ben Harding scuffed a shot narrowly wide.
Half Time
Gosport Borough 0
Portsmouth 1
Pompey were unchanged at the start of the second half, while the hosts switched both of their centre-backs.
It was still the visitors looking more threatening, however, and Stockley tested Ashmore’s handling with a curling effort from 25 yards.
But the hosts nearly carved out an equaliser on 52 minutes when Bennett turned sharply in the box and flashed a shot inches over the bar.
The Blues were not troubling their opponents too much, although Ashmore made a regulation save to keep out Stockley’s header.
But they doubled their lead on 66 minutes when ROBINSON collected a pass from Brandon Haunstrup and slid the ball home from an acute angle.
Pompey were easing their way towards a first pre-season triumph, only for Gosport to then score twice in the space of just two minutes.
First Bennett latched onto Steve Ramsey’s pass and took advantage of some hesitant defending to poke the ball home.
And White then drew the hosts level when he charged into the box and drilled a shot into the bottom corner.
Stockley flung himself at a Chaplin cross to try to restore Pompey’s lead on 83 minutes, but could not quite make contact.
But CHAPLIN did secure victory just before the end when he collected Stockley’s centre and slotted past Ashmore.
Gosport (4-diamond-2): Ashmore; Cuthebertson (Poate 65), Walker (Woodford 46), Pearce (c) (Brice 46), Williams (Woodward 65); Ryan (Ramsey 60), Harding, Dunford, Robinson (Scott 60); Wort (White 54), Bennett (Stephens 82)
Goals: Bennett 73, White 75
Pompey (4-2-3-1): Poke; Nilsen, Field, Webster, Haunstrup; Close, Hollands (c); Robinson, Chaplin, Naismith (McGurk 65); Stockley
Goals: Chaplin 13, 89, Robinson 66
Subs not used: Jones, Stevens, Atangana
Referee: Dan Cooke
Attendance: 2,020
Friendly
The striker completed a flowing attacking move to give the visitors an early advantage against their non-league opponents at Nyewood Lane.
But they were dealt a double blow as Gary Roberts went off injured at half-time before Alfie Rutherford secured a share of the spoils.
Pompey lined up in Cook’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation and immediately set about trying to pass their way through the Rocks defence.
They were enjoying plenty of possession and Roberts saw a shot deflected inches past the post in the opening stages.
Teenage Blues keeper Alex Bass had been loaned to the hosts and his first piece of action was to claim a Christian Burgess header from the resulting corner.
But the Blues broke the deadlock thanks to a fine flowing move on eight minutes.
Michael Doyle’s incisive pass sent Enda Stevens clear down the right and he squared the ball for TUBBS to roll home.
The striker almost doubled the advantage moments later when he met Gareth Evans’ knock-down at the far post, only to be denied by a last-gasp Craig Robson challenge.
There were further half-chances from both Evans and Tubbs as the visitors continued to dominate as the half progressed.
But Bognor then, out of the blue, created a couple of excellent opportunities, with skipper Jason Prior’s acrobatic bicycle kick narrowly missing the target.
Stuart Green was next to go close, courtesy of a fiercely-struck volley from the edge of the box that crashed against the crossbar.
Half Time
Bognor Regis 0
Portsmouth 1
Cook made just one change at the start of the second half, with Roberts – who picked up an injury just before the break – making way for Adam McGurk.
Pompey did not look as fluid as they had before the interval, with the chances drying up at both ends.
But Bognor found themselves level on 57 minutes when Rutherford stole the ball from Paul Robinson and coolly stroked the ball past Paul Jones.
The Blues immediately went on the attack, with both Evans and Doyle narrowly failing to find the target.
McGurk had a better opening on 65 minutes, but could only fire straight at Rocks keeper Lyall Beazley after cutting inside from the right.
Goalscorer Tubbs was then withdrawn, with triallist Theo Robinson replacing him in the Pompey attack.
However, it was Doyle who came close to restoring their advantage on 75 minutes with a bending effort that beat Beazley’s dive, but also the post.
The Blues continued to push forward in search of a late winner, but the Rocks were resilient and held on for a draw.
Bognor (4-4-2): Bass (Beazley 46); Crane, Robson, El-Abd, Wollers (Horncastle 70); Parsons (Pearce 56), Green, Thomson (Sanders 52), Tuck (Beck 56); Prior (c) (Rowlatt 76), Dodd (Rutherford 46)
Goals: Rutherford 57
Pompey: Jones; Davies, P.Robinson (c) (Nilsen 86), Burgess (Field 86), Stevens; Atangana, Doyle; Roberts (McGurk 46), Bennett, Evans (Hassan 87); Tubbs (T.Robinson 66)
Goals: Tubbs 8
Subs not used: Poke, Haunstrup, Close
Referee: Ashley Slaughter
Free Agent
| Pompey have signed midfielder Ben Tollitt on a one-year deal, with the option of an extension. The 20-year-old spent most of last season at non-league Skelmersdale United. He has recently been on trial with the Blues and came off the bench for the final few minutes of last Saturday’s friendly at Havant & Waterlooville. |
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Friendly
Michael Doyle netted on his debut as Pompey drew 1-1 with Havant & Waterlooville in their opening friendly at a sunny Westleigh Park.
The visitors had to fight from behind after Adrian Clifton had emphatically headed home before the break.
The Blues looked more dangerous in the second half and Doyle’s finish ensured a share of the spoils.
Boss Paul Cook used 22 players to give most of his first-team squad a work-out against the National League South opposition.
New signings Adam Barton (groin) and Adam McGurk (thigh) were left out as a precaution, while triallists Connor Randall, Gareth Evans, Ben Davies and Theo Robinson were all given a chance to impress.
It was the Blues who were first to threaten with Evans whipping in a cross that Hawks keeper Ryan Young did well to claim.
Randall then found Tubbs in the box, with the striker’s deft flicked header flying inches past the post.
And Christian Burgess was almost an unlikely goal hero, waltzing past a couple of challenges before scuffing a shot straight at Young.
But it was hosts who broke the deadlock midway through the half when Clifton converted Ben Swallow’s free-kick with a bullet header that left Michael Poke helpless.
Pompey were trying to build patiently from the back and enjoyed plenty of possession, but they were not really troubling the Hawks defence.
Jayden Stockley and Tubbs did combine well on 35 minutes, only for the latter to scuff his shot wide.
The striker did do better just before the interval, but his snap-shot was beaten away to safety by Young.
Half Time
Havant & Waterlooville 1
Portsmouth 0
Cook made 10 changes at the break, with Burgess the only player to remerge after the interval.
And – after surviving an early scare when Matt Paterson fired narrowly wide – the new-boys soon began to take control.
It took a brilliant save from Young to deny Gary Roberts, with the keeper managing to divert his shot over the crossbar.
But DOYLE did level the scores on 48 minutes, driving home from the edge of the box after Kyle Bennett had diverted a corner into his path.
The midfielder almost grabbed another moments later, just failing to find the target following a neat pass from Conor Chaplin.
It was Bennett who was next to go close on 59 minutes, but his header was expertly tipped onto the bar by Young.
The Hawks were struggling to remain on level terms, although they were almost gifted a goal when Adam Webster hit a free-kick back to Paul Jones and the ball bobbled just wide.
But Roberts then almost netted at the right end and Roberts really should have found the target following a mazy run from Theo Robinson.
The action started to wind down after such a frenetic opening, although it was still the visitors looking most likely to add to the scoring.
But they were unable to find another goal as the game petered towards its conclusion.
Hawks: Young (c); Strugnell (Medway 77), Molyneaux (Saunders 46), Harris (Dutton 46), Cummings (Blanchett 46); Swallow (Mullings 46), Donnelly (Kimber 77), Stock (Ridge 86), Ciardini (Gale 46); Clifton (Paterson 46), Morgan (Hayter 46)
Goals: Clifton 21
Pompey: Poke (Jones 46); Randall (Davies 46), P.Robinson (c) (Webster 46), Burgess (Nilsen 77), Haunstrup (Stevens 46), Evans (Chaplin 46 (Tollitt 86)), Atangana (Doyle 46), Hollands (Close 46), Naismith (Bennett 46); Stockley (Roberts 46), Tubbs (T.Robinson 46 (Hassan 86))
Goals: Doyle 48
Loan : AFC Bournemouth – Portsmouth
| Pompey have signed Jayden Stockley on loan from Bournemouth until January. The 21-year-old striker had stints with fellow League Two sides Cambridge and Luton last term. Stockley is a product of Bournemouth’s academy and has made 22 senior appearances for the Cherries. As well as his time at Luton and Cambridge, he has had spells on loan at Accrington, Woking, Leyton Orient and Torquay. |
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Free Agent
| Pompey have completed the signing of midfielder Michael Doyle. The 33-year-old has penned a one-year deal at Fratton Park after leaving Sheffield United at the end of last season. Doyle – who has one Republic of Ireland cap – came through the ranks at Celtic, but moved south of the border to join Coventry in 2003. He made almost 300 appearances for the Sky Blues and had a spell on loan at Leeds before signing for Sheffield United in January 2011. Doyle netted 10 goals in 231 games for the Blades and was part of the side that reached the League One play-offs and Capital One Cup semi-finals last term. |
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Free Agent
| Portsmouth have confirmed the signing of midfielder Kyle Bennett on a two-year deal. The 24-year-old, who was released by Doncaster Rovers after his contract came to an end, is Paul Cook's first signing as Pompey manager. Bennett began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2008 before moving to Bury in 2010 and Doncaster a year later. |
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