Potent Pompey Academy off the mark in Cherries thriller

The Blues’ hard-fought 4-3 win followed last weekend’s memorable 5-5 draw at AFC Wimbledon and means Harris’ troops have now scored nine times in two matches.

Strike pairing Brandon Joseph-Buadi and Harvey Bradbury ran the Cherries defence ragged as the visitors battled back from an early 2-0 deficit to run out deserved winners at their south-coast neighbours.

Having conceded twice in the space of 10 minutes, following an uncharacteristic defensive mistake from wing-back Kyle McDowell and then a long ball over the top, the visitors struck back in fine style.

Repeating their Dons trick, Harris’ side once again hit four unanswered goals on the road to put themselves firmly in the driving seat.

McDowell made up for his earlier error by teeing up Tommy Scutt for the first, before Adam May showed a flash of individual brilliance to tee himself up for a low-volleyed equaliser.

Defender Ousman Saidy then made his way up field to head home from a set play as the Blues turned the game on its head to lead at the break.

Joseph-Buadi then scored the game’s best goal, running at the home defence before unleashing an unstoppable rising drive into the top corner of the net.

Bournemouth pulled a goal back with 10 mintues to play as Eddie Wakley was adjudged to have fouled his man at a corner – with the hosts duly firing home a late penalty.

But Pompey stood firm under pressure – something they failed to do last time out – to hold on for a well-earned three points.

Harris said: ‘It was another good attacking performance from us.

‘Brandon and Harvey as a pair up top caused Bournemouth a lot of problems.

‘Adam May was providing the ammunition for them to go and hurt Bournemouth, with Tommy Scutt also very influential just behind the two strikers.

‘We then had to do a lot of defending in the last period of the game – they had a lot of set pieces.

‘We had to dig in for the last 10 or 15 minutes.

‘It was a similar situation to the AFC Wimbledon game last week.

‘Today, the challenge to the boys was could they do what they couldn’t do last week and hold strong.

‘And to be fair, they did that well.’

POMPEY ACADEMY: Hall; Wakley, Saidy, Widdrington; Haitham, May, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scutt, McDowell; Joseph-Buadi, Bradbury (Woodward, 72)