Five star display from US Portsmouth on FA Youth Cup debut

Playing their first ever game in the tournament, the club’s under-18s trounced Bournemouth Poppies 5-1 in a preliminary round tie.

For the first time, the team - managed by Danny Knight and coached by Neil Scammell - were playing on the main Victory Stadium pitch at HMS Temeraire.

US were 2-1 up at the interval and ended up winning with goals from full-backs George Hopwood and Owen Scammell and midfielders Toby Toman and George Quirke. Matthew Duggan, who operates in the No 10 role, completed the scoring.

‘It was a good result, we played well,’ said Neil Scammell, once a prolific goalscorer in the Wessex League for Gosport Borough and Owen’s dad.

The bulk of the US team have been playing together for a decade. They progressed through the Portsmouth Youth League playing for Pickwick before coming under the US umbrella once they had finished at under-16 level.

Last season, their first at US, they were top of the second division of the Hampshire Youth League when the pandemic struck.

Unbeaten in their league games, the only team to beat them in cup action last term were AFC Stoneham.

Several of the under-18s were regulars in the US reserve team which topped the Wyvern League East Division table in 2019/20.

A handful - Scammell, Quirke and Charlie Musson - also came on as a sub for the 1st XI during the season.

US will now meet Fareham Town in the first qualifying round in the week commencing September 21.

This Sunday the team have their first Hampshire Youth League game of 2020/21 against Baffins Milton Rovers.