No Fratton Park final showpiece to look forward to after Gosport Borough see off lower level Petersfield Town in hard-fought Portsmouth Senior Cup semi-final clash

Ryan Pennery struck the only goal on 65 minutes to wrap up a 1-0 semi-final success for Boro over plucky three-divisions lower Wessex Division One Petersfield at Privett Park.

Usually, progression to the final of the competition would mean an opportunity to run-out at League One Pompey's Fratton Park home for the right to claim the Portsmouth Senior Cup silverware.

That's something Gosport boss Gale has experienced before, having twice won the competition in his role as assistant manager to Lee Bradbury at National League South Hawks in both 2015 and 2017 under the lights at PO4.

But with third-tier Pompey unable to accommodate the showpiece at their home this season - it means Gosport - record six-time competition winners - will instead head to the home of Havant & Waterlooville FC and Westleigh Park on Wednesday, April 6.

Gale said: ‘It's a competition that I've been involved with Havant before, it's always (been) played at Fratton Park, they can't accommodate apparently this year.

‘It's a disappointment because it's something which is always nice to look forward to - the lads playing at a decent stadium like that. That's no disrespect to Havant's stadium (Westleigh Park), it's a good stadium, but it's not Fratton Park.

‘It is what it is, obviously we play against Moneyfields, it's another final and we've got quite a few teams in finals across the club.

On the field, Gale was not overly impressed with what his side served up in what was a narrow victory in the end.

The Boro boss felt his men did not 'transfer the ball quickly enough' for long periods, although they managed to secure the last-four triumph thanks to Pennery smashing home after the visitors had failed to deal with a corner on 65 minutes.

Gale added: ‘Fair play to Petersfield, it's a great little club, they came and made it difficult. The expectations were all on us, they came and made it difficult for us, we could have been two-up in the first 10 minutes. Their keeper made a good save and we missed another chance.

‘We've got to be better at breaking them down but when I look at it, eight or nine of those players (who started) have not had a lot of football in the past month or so.

‘I was just disappointed we weren't better with the ball in the final third. We made it easier for them by not transferring the ball quick enough.’

Gale also applauded the continued great work of the club, who raised £2,070 from gate receipts from the cup clash – with 469 fans in attendance – for the Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

It came just a week after Boro pledged half of the gate receipts from their home Southern League Premier South meeting with Hendon last week to the Unicef Emergency Appeal – Support Ukraine’s Children.