Pompey are not fielding any experienced professionals at Farnborough this evening - here’s why.

A change of pre-season schedule has led to Pompey fielding a side of youngsters at Farnborough this evening.

The Blues play their next warm-up match at Cherrywood Road this evening, in a match which was billed as a first-team game with John Mousinho expected to utilise his senior squad.

Instead it will be an academy group and new first-year pros Chinedu Agu, Michael Ani and Nathaniel Chioma taking on the Conference South side.

The decision was made after a change to Pompey’s timetable, ahead of their final pre-season warm-up match against SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday.

Pompey’s departure for Germany has been brought forward to tomorrow morning, to factor in another day of training on the continent ahead of a stiff test of their credentials against the 2. Bundesliga side.

As a result a youthful team will go up against Spencer Day’s match, with a scheduled academy game against Moneyfields last night pushed back to next week to allow that to happen.

The move has caused some frustration among the Farnborough hierarchy, after Pompey fielded a strong side in their warm-up game in north Hampshire last year. The Blues cruised to a 5-0 success in front of a crowd of 2,897 on that occasion.

Pompey boss John Mousinho is not at the game this evening, with academy staff overseeing the players. Sporting director Rich Hughes is present as a senior member of the football operation, however.