Pompey step up their preparations for the season proper when they take on Bognor and Gosport within 24 hours.

They travel to Ryman premier team Bognor on Friday (7.30pm) and Privett Park on Saturday (3pm) though it is not yet clear how they will stretch their squad across the two games so close to one another.

The games follow last weekend's pre-season opener - a 1-1 draw at Havant - and manager Paul Cook will doubtless be looking for his team to win both these games.

One player certain to feature in at least one of the games is defender Christian Burgess, who impressed at Havant last Saturday.

Cook told The News: ‘With Christian you can see the natural qualities in him. He can bring the ball out of defence, he can pass it, he has time in possession, but he can also defend.

‘What we have got to make sure is we are working on other deficiencies within his game. What we all have is deficiencies. Most importantly we appreciate what we are good at, but also appreciate what we are not so good at.And if we keep working hard at the things we are not good at we will be an all-round better player.’

Also likely to be on show at some stage is Ben Tollitt, a 20-year-old attacking midfielder plucked from Skelmersdale United of the Northern Premier League.

His former manager Tommy Lawson told The News: ‘Paul (Cook) came to watch Skem last season so has been aware of Ben for a while. He is an experienced manager and knows what he has got there, which is a lad with a great deal of potential.

‘Ben is a throwback to a winger who gets the ball and runs at people, he is a defender’s nightmare. He will want to take people on, he will want to challenge them, he will want to outpace them, the lad has so much natural ability.'

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