Portsmouth south-coast derby plans rocked by 'worst injury crisis in 10 years' ahead of Southampton visit

Pompey’s south-coast derby preparations have been devastated by the worst injury crisis Jay Sadler has ever experienced.

Southampton Women visit Fratton Park on Sunday (2pm) in the Women’s Super League 2 - just four days after they defeated the Blues in the League Cup at the Silverlake Stadium.

A severely-depleted Pompey Women side were missing nine players for Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss, while could name just four subs.

Sadler will give late fitness tests to Angelina Nixon and Greta Humphries ahead of kick-off, yet is braced to once again have just 15 players at his disposal - including two goalkeepers and two Academy players.

The long-serving Blues boss believes it’s the worst injury situation he has known during his 10 years in charge - and the timing is also lousy considering the importance of the fixture.

‘It has been a struggle’

He told The News: ‘I cannot remember having so many players unavailable in my 10 years here - and it has been a struggle.

‘You are asking the same group to cognitively and physically execute a gameplan with intensity for 90-plus minutes Sunday to Wednesday to Sunday, which obviously comes with its challenges.

‘All we can do is change the system, change the strategies. What we lacked at Ipswich when we went 2-1 up after 60 minutes and Forest when it was 1-0 after 57 minutes was the ability to freshen the squad up from the beach. We simply haven’t had that option to do so.

‘It has obviously taken its toll, which is why I can't fault the application, but we need to maintain the motivation and quality levels in both boxes.

‘We will have late fitness tests for Angelina and Greta, but the possibility of them being back is slim, which is a shame. So it looks like we’ll be going into that game with limited numbers once again.

‘So we’re looking at a squad with 13 outfield players available, with two of them fresh from our under-23s squad last season, who have never played senior football and only recently made their debuts in the League Cup for limited minutes.

‘Although it can be seen as a bit of an excuse, the players we do have available are of good enough quality to be picking up points in the league.’

‘The players understand the importance of it’

Of Pompey’s lengthy casualty list, Jazz Younger, Annie Hutchings, Lucy Johnson and Emily Pitman are recovering from ACL injuries. Other absentees include Humphries, Nixon, Tia Young, Sophie Barker and Emma Jones.

Pompey Women are presently bottom of the Women’s Super League 2, while Southampton occupy fifth spot with one defeat from their opening five fixtures.

Sadler added: ‘Obviously we came off a defeat on Wednesday night against them, but when it comes to this game, the players understand the importance of it. It’s the one all the fans look for in the calendar.

‘Some of the new players have now had a taste for it, but, with three days of recovery, reflection and coming back in as a group, we know where we need to increase our performance in order to get the victory.’

Your Next Pompey Read: Local sculptor unveils design for proposed permanent tribute to Milan Mandaric in Portsmouth