Training at Manchester United with David de Gea, dad was Alex Ferguson's neighbour and played for Bognor, the Chichester College student - meet Portsmouth's new first-team keepers

A 5-1 thumping at Peterborough on Tuesday night signalled Papa John’s Trophy elimination for the Blues.

Yet the London Road occasion also marked debuts for goalkeeping duo Duncan Turnbull and Taylor Seymour.

With Alex Bass sidelined by a calf injury, Kenny Jackett used the Posh encounter to run the rule over the other back-up keepers behind Craig MacGillivray.

While Turnbull was named in the starting XI, it was pre-determined that the teenage Seymour would replace him on the hour mark, irrespective of how he fared.

Despite having previously occupied Pompey’s bench for seven matches this season, it was a first glimpse of the 6ft 7in American in action.

Signed in March on an 18-month deal, the 22-year-old’s journey to Fratton Park is an unusual one.

An accountancy graduate from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, in December 2019 he was drafted by MLS side Houston Dynamo, yet instead sought to find employment in Europe.

In January, Turnbull spent two weeks training with Manchester United’s first-team and under-23s, working alongside de Gea.

That winter, there were also spells at Aberdeen and Huddersfield before earning a Pompey trial after goalkeeping coach John Keeley was sent video clips.

Incidentally, Turnbull has family links with the area. Grandparents Bob and Sheena live in Fareham, with Bob a former Fratton Park season-ticket holder.

The family had originally relocated to the south coast from East Kilbride, where they lived across the road from St Mirren boss Alex Ferguson, who would go on to become a managerial great.

Their son, Neil, was a centre-half and featured for a season at the Rocks under Jack Pearce, before moving to America as a teenager to study, subsequently settling there.

Now Duncan completes the Turnbull family circle by journeying to the south coast in attempts at furthering his football career.

As for Seymour, having trained with the Blues since December 2019, he earned a third-year scholarship last summer.

At the time, the Worthing-based youngster was aged 18 and had been studying electrical installations at Chichester College.

Seymour’s career began at Lewes, where he progressed through the under-18s to reach the Isthmian Premier League club’s first-team, featuring twice.

He has also appeared for England Colleges, while last term turned out for Pompey’s Academy on occasions, yet is now rendered too old.

With Bass absent for up to a month through injury, we could be seeing plenty more of Turnbull and Seymour around first-team fixtures.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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