Pompey Reserves 2 - Saints Reserves 1

Saints suffered their second Fratton Park defeat in 16 days last night.

Teenage prodigy Dexter Blackstock's first half strike failed to stop the reserves avenging the first team's 1-0 reverse against Pompey last month.

Under-18 striker Blackstock sidefooted home a cushioned volley from six yards after getting between two Portsmouth defenders to finish Leandre Griffit's right flank cross midway through the first half.

But a Pompey side made up largely of youth team players - Sebastien Schemmel was the only player with first-team experience in the home side's starting line up - already led through Chris Clark's seventh minute goal.

Midfielder Clark found the far corner of Paul Smith's goal after cutting inside left back Stephen Crainey who, along with Neil McCann, had lost his first team place as a result of the lacklustre Premiership performance on the same ground last month.

Clark's 20-yarder sparked Saints into life and after the impressive Simon Gillett had sent Brett Ormerod away down the right, Arron Davies stabbed a good chance wide after the first team striker had pulled the ball back from the byline.

A Darren Kenton cross flashed across the face of the Pompey six-yard box before half-time and, on 49 minutes, Ormerod's glancing header from Griffit's cross failed to trouble Chris Tardif.

The match was limited to Pompey season ticket holders only after a pre-season agreement between the clubs - and those present gave the club's teenagers their full backing in the second half. The tyros responded.

Winger Liam Horsted fired narrrowly over the top corner of Smith's goal after cutting in from the left flank and on the hour he was hauled down by Gillett, who was booked for his challenge, as he gave a warning of the goal that was to come.

Pompey first teamer Gary O'Neil, a first-half substitute for Anthony Pulis and an England under-20 teammate of Saints defender Martin Cranie, stung Smith's hands after forcing the Saints keeper into a diving stop with a long-range free kick.

And goalscorer Clark struck the bar from just six yards after reacting first to the rebound.

Pompey were on top but Ormerod sent a cross-shot wide of the far post and Blackstock fired tamely at Tardif before Horsted struck the winner midway through the second half.

Horsted steered the ball inside the far post after a succession of passes across the Pompey penalty area found the number 11 with enough time and space to pick his spot.

Herne-based referee Mick McCoy booked Matthew Mills for tripping O'Neil in the centre circle in the second half, as well as Pompey's Richard Duffy for a late challenge on Ormerod in the latter stages of the first period.

The tenacious Gillett, Saints' best player on the night, was also cautioned.

Under-19 academy coach Stewart Henderson, who was in charge of the reserves last night, said: "We started poorly and then Dexter took his goal very well after a good ball by Leandre Griffit. "But we weren't particularly good in the second half."

Saints had a vastly more experienced side than their Pompey counterparts - both McCann and Crainey's previous run-outs were for Scotland against Romania last week! - but Henderson added: "This wasn't a massive upset.

"It was as competitive a game as you would expect for a derby and reserve teams are always mix and match.

"Arron Davies and Simon Gillett have probably never played together in central midfield before."

Portsmouth: Tardif, Schemmel, Day, Duffy, Parker, Clark, Pulis (O'Neil 36), Harris, Horsted (Moore 80), Wilson, Keene.

Saints: Smith, Kenton, Mills, Cranie, Crainey, Griffit (Surman 78), Gillett, Davies (Anaclet 78), McCann, Blackstock, Ormerod.

Subs not used: Anderson, Blayney, Wallis-Tayler.