'The signs are there': John Mousinho on why Portsmouth's Academy is beginning to flourish

That’s the verdict of John Mousinho, who was an impressed onlooker at the Blues’ agonising 3-2 extra-time defeat in the FA Youth Cup.

Last term Pompey were eliminated in the competition’s first round at Eastleigh, while Leeds were defeated in the final against Manchester City.

Fast forward 12 months and Sam Hudson’s side were undone at Fratton Park on Monday night by Leeds’ 102nd-minute goal, having twice fought their way back from behind.

And Mousinho has applauded the youngsters for a performance he regards as providing proof that Pompey’s youth set-up is progressing.

The Blues head coach told The News: ‘The lads deserved more from the game. It looked like it might have been a tough one when we conceded after four minutes, but the lads came back into it brilliantly.

‘I guess the frustration from Sam’s point of view is that, after equalising, we conceded straight away.

‘Then we got back into it in the 90th minute and, in typical Pompey fashion, conceded when Leeds went down to 10-men which was a bit of a sucker punch.

‘That would have hurt everyone, particularly because we were competing against a really successful Category One Academy with some really talented players.

‘We started with Ashton Sizer, an under-16, and then were bringing under-16s off the bench. There were also a lot of first years in there with a lot of promise, it wasn’t like it was a team full of second years.

‘If you look at last season, we were knocked out by Eastleigh in the first round. Now, a year on, we have given a Category One side a really good run for their money.

‘I thought we looked really good value for the win, at the very least if it had gone to penalties that would have been fair.

‘And all this against an Academy with a huge amount of resources, with an under-21 side, with everything they have, and a Premier League background. It’s a really good sign of where our Academy currently is.

‘The big challenge is can we compete with all the Category One Academies around? It’s not just Bournemouth, Brighton and the others down the road, it’s also Chelsea, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Tottenham. They have a wide reach as well.

‘Any player who we think is good enough to, at some point, impact Pompey’s first-team, we will make sure we give as good a chance as possible.’

Tayo Singerr took his season’s tally to 13, while substitute Connor May also netted in the defeat.

And Mousinho has revealed which of the promising talent on display caught his eye.

He added: ‘I thought there were some really good performances.

‘Harry Clout did really well, Ashton (Sizer) impressed me for someone of his age, they have high hopes for him, and I thought Ciaran (Martin) was excellent. He has gone away on loan as a first-year to Moneyfields and done really well, we’ve had some really good reports.

‘It was just a really good performance all round. You’ve got some lads that were properly out on their feet, but they did themselves proud.’