The secret Portsmouth friendly and 9-1 outcome which heralded unlikely double promotion glory
Not that anyone was watching anyway, but few could have anticipated they were seeing two promotion-winning sides in play.In a private preseason friendly, Pompey defeated Crawley 9-1 on a soggy Saturday afternoon in July 2023.
Because of its extreme secrecy, the Blues’ Copnor Road training ground was kept hidden from prying eyes by not announcing the match in advance.
In fact, Crawley never disclosed their starting lineup, not even when they released the depressing match report after a crushing loss.
With 22 players used over the course of four 30-minute quarters and a hat-trick from rookie Kusini Yengi, John Mousinho’s team looked quite impressive.
However, the visitors gave up after making 11 substitutions around the hour mark, with Pompey leading 2-1 at that point.
At the conclusion of the season, the Blues had won League One and were, for the first time since 2012, back in the Championship.
Regarding Crawley, under Scott Lindsey, they secured promotion on Sunday by defeating Crewe 2-0 at Wembley in the League Two play-off final.
That day at Pompey’s training field, the Reds really didn’t look like favourites to return to League One, and many fans, predictably, predicted that they would be sent to the non-league.
“The second period was good for me because it shows that some of the players are not good enough,” Lindsey later said on their official website.
“In the dressing room after the game, I made it very clear that they are not good enough to be in my squad.” Unfortunately, I can’t let some people play for me because they didn’t even want to be there throughout the second period.
The boys who will be playing are capable, and the boys who I felt were nowhere near it are, in fact, nowhere near it. That’s why it was a terrific exercise.
Although Pompey was playing in their fifth preseason game, a few players made their debuts.
Gavin Whyte, Regan Poole, Abu Kamara, and Yengi were playing for the first time in Pompey colours, while Colby Bishop made his comeback from injury.
Joe Rafferty was ruled out due to injury, and it’s interesting to note that Denver Hume and Haji Mnoga were left off of the 22-man roster despite being eligible for 60 minutes of play.
In the end, a 9-1 triumph was achieved, with Yengi scoring a hat-trick in 22 minutes, and Anthony Scully scoring twice and dishing out three assists after coming on in the 61st minute.
It was undoubtedly a strong performance by Scully and a tantalising look at his abilities in a season that would later be marred by injury, which began with the first game against Bristol Rovers.
Yengi, on the other hand, made a grand entrance after bouncing back from an ankle injury to play, finishing the season as an Australian international with 13 goals in 31 games for the Blues.
Bishop, Christian Saydee, Tom Lowery, and Zak Swanson were among the other Pompey scorers that afternoon.
Harry Forster scored Crawley’s only goal on 49 minutes after Liam Kelly and Kellan Gordon contributed to the build-up.
Regretfully, Forster’s injury kept him out of the play-off final over a decade later, but the Wembley starting lineup included Kelly, Gordon, Nick Tsaroulla, and Corey Addai, who also started against Pompey.
Nevertheless, it’s challenging to identify anyone else who might have been present on that rainy July afternoon without the Crawley team sheet.
Still, that covert match would pave the way for prosperous campaigns for both teams, culminating in double promotion triumph.
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