Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Oxford United U18 5th with 53 points, Portsmouth U18 16th with 30, 23 apart. Portsmouth U18 ranked just 42nd in the league on five-round form despite their 16th table position. Per game in the league, Oxford United U18 were scoring 2.25 and conceding 1.32, Portsmouth U18 1.68 and 2.21, against a competition average of 1.9 goals per team per game.
Oxford United U18 had banked 10 of the last 15 points on offer; Portsmouth U18, 4.
9 meetings are on record — 6 won by Oxford United U18, 2 by Portsmouth U18, 1 drawn, at 2.67 goals per meeting. Home advantage has meant little here: 33% of the meetings went to the host.