Free-scoring US Portsmouth Reserves could still ‘win’ promotion – but they’re losing their top scorer to America

Lee Mould’s team were 13 points clear at the top of the Wyvern Combination East Division when the 2019/20 season was first suspended and then subsequently cancelled.

They had won 15 of their 17 league games and in their last match thrashed Folland 9-0 to become the first local team to reach a seasonal century of league goals.

USP ended with 103 goals in just 17 league matches.

Last summer the Wyvern Combination League offered them the chance to play in the Premier Division, even though they had only finished sixth out of 11 teams in 2018/19.

Now the hope is that the Wyvern will again invite USP to step up.

‘Last year we were offered the chance to go up, even though we hadn’t pulled up any trees,’ said former Moneyfields and Waterlooville player Mould.

‘I was working all over the country as well, so we decided to stay where we were.

‘But we’ve had a great season - better than we could have imagined - and now if we’re offered the chance to go up we will definitely take it. I would imagine we would be offered it again, but I honestly don’t know.

‘I want my players to test themselves against better players and teams, and they should want that as well.

‘No disrespect to the Wyvern East, but we won some games by double figure scores.’

Indeed they did. Their last six league games, for example, saw wins against Clanfield (14-0), Hayling (7-0), Liphook (10-0), Liss (5-2), Infinity (8-1) and Folland (9-0).

‘We also gave Fareham’s first team a run for their money in the Portsmouth Senior Cup,’ said Mould. ‘They only scored a second late on for a 2-0 win.

‘That was a testament to the massive strength we have in depth at the club.

‘I’m confident I could give Glenn (Turnbull, USP first team boss) three or four of my best players and he wouldn’t be weakened at all.

‘We have a good youth team and I’ve been taking three or four of their players most weeks.’

Impressively, USP under-18s were the third team from the club to end 2019/20 top of their table - they were three points clear of AFC Portchester, having played a game more, when their Hampshire Youth League Division 2 season was halted.

Freddy Nancarrow was USP Reserves’ leading scorer in 2019/20 - firing 26 league goals in only 13 starts.

The 18-year-old belted six in the 14-0 slaying of Clanfield, five in a 10-0 win against Infinity and four in a 9-0 rout of Liss.

USP will have to do without him next season, though, as the former Miltoncross Academy student will be starting a new life in America at the Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

Nancarrow has accepted a soccer scholarship after being scouted during Portsmouth College’s recent tour of the Boston area.

‘Fred will be a big miss for us,’ said Mould.

‘He’s very left-sided, he only uses his right foot for standing on, and he’s very composed in front of goal.

‘He virtually passes the ball into the net - some players will snatch at chances, but Fred is always calm. He never panics.

‘That’s very rare to see in reserve football.

‘He’s a good lad, he has a selfish streak which all centre forwards need. I said to Glenn last year that he’s probably the best finisher at the club - not just in the reserves.

‘If he’d carried on developing I could have seen him progressing into Glenn’s squad next season.

‘He’s a natural scorer but we’ve been working this season on his back to goal play, his build-up play. He’s been excellent in that respect - the ball has been sticking and he’s been bringing team-mates more into play.’