Why Portsmouth have their eyes on two important pieces of silverware this season

Pompey could be celebrating two league title triumphs come the end of the season.

John Mousinho's men's side have been stealing the headlines as they sit top of League One with a six-point lead and with 14 games of the campaign remaining.

But let's not forget the exciting climax to the season that's developing in FA Women's National League South, where Pompey Women currently enjoy a three-point advantage following a convincing 5-1 win over in-form Oxford on Sunday.

Jay Sadler's side have eight games remaining - but that's one more than nearest challengers Hashtag United, who have played a game more than the Blues. Pompey beat Hashtag 2-1 last month to secure an important win over their rivals and gained revenage for a 1-0 defeat earlier on in the campaign.

In their latest impressive win against Oxford, Ava Rowbotham bagged an eye-catching brace for the table-toppers, with Daisy McLachlan, Georgie Freeland and Nicole Barrett also on target.

Sadler made two changes from the side that secured a narrow win on the road at Ipswich the previous weekend. Rowbotham and Emma Jones both returned to the starting line-up, with Jazz Younger missing out through injury and Emily Pitman dropping to the bench. The visitors made a fast start, with Sophie Quirk bringing down a long Hannah Haughton kick and driving forward before drawing a save from Paris Sercombe. And the keeper came to the rescue once more moments later, this time preventing Jones from getting on the end of McLachlan’s pass.

Get the latest Pompey headlines, straight to your inbox Blues stopper Haughton was called into action to deny Jenna Legg at the other end, although it was still the away side looking more likely to break the deadlock. Sercombe was certainly having a busy afternoon and kept out Freeland’s shot, then saved a Quirk curler. But Pompey did make their pressure count midway through the first half after Quirk had stolen possession. She played the ball out to Jones on the left, with a low cross being sent to the back post for McLachlan to smash home her first goal since returning to the club last month. United were not given an opportunity to find their way back into the contest, with their deficit soon doubled. A cross from Barrett was cleared only as far as Rowbotham, who fired a 25-yard rocket into the top corner. And the midfielder ensured it got even better for the Blues just before the break, collecting Barrett’s cut-back and coolly lifting the ball over Sercombe from the edge of the box. If there were any doubts about the outcome of the contest, they vanished within five minutes of the second half. It was a lovely move from the visitors to score their fourth goal, with Jones bringing down an Izzy Collins cross before laying the ball off for Freeland to slot home. Oxford did not give up, however, and Haughton had to be at her best to keep out a long-range Zoe Barratt strike. But Pompey were not content to see out the remainder of the game and the home side were just about able to prevent Jones from scrambling the ball over the line. And they were showing plenty of commitment, typified by an excellent challenge from Dani Lane – once again looking assured in an unfamiliar role in the back-line – on Barratt. United did grab a goal on 76 minutes, with Barratt crossing for Tash Stephens to score against her former club. They might have introduced a few nerves into their opponents had Haughton not then made a fine double stop to deny Vita Budaieva. But it was the Blues who had the final say in stoppage-time, when Barrett collected an Ella Humphrey pass and glided into the box before calmly finding the target.

Pompey: Haughton (c); Barrett, Lane, Casley, Collins (Wild 66); Rowbotham (Hall 71), Rutherford, Freeland; McLachlan (Humphrey 71), Jones (Pitman 80), Quirk (Bowers 80).