The moment of magic that's given Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley a selection decision to ponder

Alfie Stanley celebrates his goal for Pompey reserves against Millwall. Picture: Colin Farmery

Alfie Stanley has given Danny Cowley a selection decision to ponder after his moment of magic for Pompey reserves.

The striker grabbed the only goal in the 1-0 win over Millwall under-23s at Gosport Borough's Privett Park on Tuesday.

On 73 minutes, Stanley was picked out by Haji Mnoga and adjusted his feet superbly to crash a volley into the bottom corner.

Heading into the League One visit of Burton on Saturday, the Blues will again be without a recognised striker.

John Marquis has to serve the final game of a three-match suspension while Ellis Harrison and Jordy Hiwula are both injured.

Ronan Curtis led the line in victories over Rochdale and Wigan, scoring in the former.

However, with concerns over tiredness, Cowley has admitted he needs to come up with a way to 'freshen up' the team.

And Mark Kelly reckons Stanley has given Pompey's head coach, who watched the reserve game from the stands, something to think about.

The Blues' player development manager said: ‘Alfie is sharp and he scores goals.

‘Once the ball drops in the box, he comes alive and that's what happened. It was a great reaction, a great volley and the goalkeeper didn't see it because it flew into the corner.

‘That's Alfie and he put a lot of work and commitment in, as everyone else did. That's the standard and what you expect.

‘That's why this game was good to put on and that's what Alfie has got to go and prove (that he's good enough for the first team).

‘I thought he got some real good work in, got himself moving, linked the play well and got through 90 minutes really well considering he hasn't played for a while. He certainly didn't look rusty.’

Kelly felt Pompey thoroughly deserved their triumph over Millwall.

He added: ‘We could have scored three or four. The boys had good control, they were patient at times and found good gaps to build the play.

‘For a young side, younger than Millwall, I was really pleased and they played some really good stuff with some real confidence.

‘We had a couple of first-year scholars starting and they didn't look out of place at all. They were confident in what they were trying to do.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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