Significant ticket numbers already sold as Portsmouth head to Gosport Borough for pre-season action

Already, Boro have pre-sold in excess of 1,000 tickets for the showpiece pre-season friendly with Danny Cowley's troops.

Despite their opening summer friendly outing at National League South Hawks arriving just a day earlier, Pompey are still expected to send a strong side for Sunday's meeting with Shaun Gale's Gosport (3pm).

With tickets also available to purchase on the day, the ground is expected to be awash with supporters of both sides looking to get an early pre-season glimpse at the players in action.

Gosport secretary Craig Stainton revealed: ‘We've sold over 1,000 (tickets) at the moment already. It's just trying to make it easier for the people on the day.

‘It's excellent going, it's good, I think everybody knows what team they're (Pompey) going to be playing on Sunday, it's quite commonly out there, I'm guessing when people see the team that's played at Havant on Saturday they'll work out the others.

‘I think there'll be a made rush on Sunday. It's fantastic for both us and Havant, let's be honest, it's fantastic for local fans to get the chance over two days (to watch Pompey).’

Gosport actually get their eight-game pre-season programme under way at Wessex League Division 1 side Petersfield Town - managed by Boro centre of excellence heads Pat Suraci and Joe Lea - on Friday night (7.45pm).

But that team is expected to be made up largely of promising under-23, under-18 players and triallists with Gale resting his senior squad members for the visit of League One Pompey on Sunday.