'We are a proud football club, a proud city': Danny Cowley toasts a triumph for Portsmouth after south-coast derby victory over Southampton

The Blues tonight triumphed 5-2 in the Hampshire Senior Cup over a B side fielded by their fierce local rivals.

Reeco Hackett bagged two, while Zak Swanson, Michael Jacobs and substitute Koby Mottah also netted against the 10-man visitors.

Although the competition remains a low-key affair, it still attracted 2,543 to Fratton Park, of which 285 were visiting supporters.

And Cowley, who picked a strong side for the fixture, toasted a win he hopes did the Fratton faithful proud.

He told The News: ‘We are a proud football club, a proud city, if we play Southampton, it could be at tiddlywinks, we are going to want to win.

‘We are going to play to win – and we are going to pick a team to do that.

‘It was about trying to pick a team which could win the game, but also with an eye on development, and I thought we found a balance.

‘The experienced players were brilliant with the younger ones and I thought the younger ones came in and played above themselves.

‘You have to remember our Academy only goes to 18, so we’re competing against a Premier League club with an Academy that goes up to 23.

‘But we are a proud city and we know when you pull on a Pompey shirt what it means to play for Portsmouth, we also know what it means to beat Southampton.

‘It could be an FA Cup final, it could be the Hampshire Senior Cup, we play Southampton and we play to win and want to win.

‘We’re aware of the rivalry, we understand where it originates from, and we represent the people of Portsmouth. We understand our responsibilities.’

Pompey were poised for an even greater victory in the 48th minute when Olly Lancaster was sent off with the hosts 4-0 up.

It didn’t quite pan out that way, however, with Jimmy-Jay Morgan netting twice to reduce the deficit and, for a brief moment, threaten an unlikely comeback.

Yet Pompey’s win wasn’t to be denied, with first-year scholar Mottah sealing the result in stoppage time having earlier struck a post.

Cowley added: ‘We went 4-0 up and had a great place in the game.

‘Then Southampton had a sending off, we got a bit sloppy, and, for a period, we lost a bit of momentum in the game – but then finished strongly.

‘We had 12 players aged 23 and under in the group, which I thought was good, and, out of 16 players, six of those were 16.’