Pompey earn comfortable victory at Bognor

Pompey picked up a 4-1 win at Bognor in their latest pre-season outing.
Conor Chaplin. Picture: Joe PeplerConor Chaplin. Picture: Joe Pepler
Conor Chaplin. Picture: Joe Pepler

A mixture of youthful and experienced players continued their build-up for the campaign with a decent workout at Nyewood Lane.

Conor Chaplin’s free-kick opened the scoring with Curtis Main, Michael Smith and Adam May getting the other goals for Paul Cook’s side.

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Paul Jones got his first pre-season minutes under his belt, but will disappointed with the goal he conceded as Harvey Whyte tapped home after he dropped the ball from a corner.

The first half proved one-way traffic with Pompey creating chance after chance.

Conor Chaplin carved out three efforts in the first 13 minutes with Rocks keeper Billy Granger being kept busy.

Granger kept out a fine hit from Ben Tollitt from 25 yards with Curtis Main next to fire over after being teed up by Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain.

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The impressive Granger was then equal to Chaplin’s 20-yard hit after 20 minutes.

The keeper was finally beaten by a lovely Chaplin free-kick from the edge of the box seven minutes later, however, as he whipped his left-footed strike over the wall.

Bognor were almost level seven minutes later, though, as Pompey got sloppy at the back.

The ball dropped to Dylan Barnett 10 yards out but Paul Jones kept out his hit and Ollie Pearce then cracked his follow-up off the upright.

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Chaplin was the creator of the second goal two minutes before the break as he crossed for Main to head home from a few yards out.

Bognor pulled a goal back three minutes from the restart with Jones claiming he was impeded from a corner as he dropped the ball.

The ref saw no infringement, however, and Whyte was on hand to force it home from a couple of yards out.

Pompey restored their two-goal lead after 67 minutes when Darren Budd brought down Ben Tollitt, and Michael Smith confidently sent sub keeper Joe Taylor the wrong way from 12 yards.

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And there was a fourth for the Blues seven minutes later – a cracking low 25-yard drive from May.

Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain was required to make a late goal-line clearance to deny Jimmy Wild as Bognor proved a competitive opponent until the death.