'We achieved the virtually impossible': Portsmouth boss on stunning cup fightback which shocked in-form Gosport

Trialling 3-0 with 21 minutes remaining in Tuesday evening’s Hampshire Senior Cup clash, by his own admission even the under-18s boss couldn’t see a way back.

Certainly none of the 701 crowd present anticipated the stunning comeback which unfolded, with Koby Mottoh (twice) and substitute Connor May netting.

With a 3-3 final scoreline, the Privett Park clash headed into a penalty shoot-out to decide the second-round outcome.

And, remarkably, the Blues won 4-3, with Mottoh inevitably converting the winner.

Academy professional development phase lead coach Hudson told The News: ‘It had absolutely everything, comebacks, sending offs, penalties, moments where we actually looked really strong and moments where we looked really weak and a little bit naive at times,

‘In the first half I thought we pressed okay, but in possession once we got into their half we let ourselves down a bit in terms of quality and they showed a ruthlessness we didn’t.

‘Then Gosport scored the third one after half-time which made our life virtually impossible in some ways.

‘I am more than happy to admit, I said to James (Barlow) “I don’t think this is us now”.

‘At half-time when it was 2-0, I told the lads we believed because we see them train every day, we see the effort and commitment that a lot of the players put in, they’re in six days a week, a lot have moved from different parts of the country, they are really committed to this club, but just didn’t show as much as we’d like in the first half.

‘So when that third goal went in I honestly thought that was probably us done, plus with the formation change and trying to change shape at 3-0 down could make it worse.

‘So absolutely fair play to the lads, they dug in deep and found a gear that maybe they didn’t even know they had.

‘Probably not many people in the ground thought it would go to penalties and we would come out and stay in the hat.

‘Now they have done that, the expectation on them will be greater for future games against senior men’s teams.’

With Pompey’s first-team squad granted time off following nine games in 29 matches, it was entirely an Academy side which faced Gosport.

Hudson added: ‘One of our values is being stronger together as a club, one club, one set of staff and players, one training ground, we want to be fighting for the right things altogether.

‘It's easy to put words on walls and say things like this, but you have to deliver on the pitch and in the moments where you are trailing games 3-0 down, that's when you really learn about people – staff and players.

‘And a lot of the lads who might not have had too much credit in the bank at half-time certainly redeemed themselves at the end.’