Portsmouth Women were forced to withdraw from their Women’s League Cup match against Charlton Athletic on Sunday, amid what has been described as the club’s worst injury crisis seen in a decade.
With defender Izzy Collins serving a one-match suspension, and players including Jazz Younger, Lucy Johnson, Emily Pitman, and Annie Hutchings sidelined with long-term ACL injuries, head coach Jay Sadler was left with just nine players to go against the Addicks last weekend.
“I cannot remember having so many players unavailable in my 10 years here – and it has been a struggle.”
With 13 players now absent, the club initially tried to postpone the fixture until they had enough available squad members. However, when WSL Football confirmed that delaying the match would not be possible, Portsmouth were left with no choice but to withdraw and automatically lose the game.
The club extended their apologies to supporters of both Pompey and Charlton Athletic for the cancellation of the match and any further inconvenience caused.
This news comes at a time when women’s football is grappling with a widespread injury crisis. Top clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Lyon have all recently reported multiple players sidelined due to injury. The Austrian women’s national team has also confirmed the loss of five of their key players to ACL injuries, including Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger and Liverpool midfielder Marie Höbinger.
There is hope that this withdrawal will remain an isolated incident. After the international break, Pompey Women are next due to play Crystal Palace at home on 2 November, by which time many of the unavailable players are expected to have recovered and be fit to return.
Yet, Portsmouth’s forced withdrawal is indicative of deeper issues within the club.
Following a 1-0 defeat away to Southampton FC Women earlier this month, Sadler’s side went on to suffer a 5-2 loss at home. Prior to the second match, Sadler admitted that he would not be able to make many changes to the team that lost at Silverlake Stadium. Adding to their struggles, the team had five spots left vacant on their bench, naming only four substitute players, one of which being back-up goalkeeper Comfort Erhabor.
This, coupled with the news of their withdrawal against Charlton, suggests that Portsmouth are suffering from a lack of sufficient depth in its reserve squad and academy system to absorb injuries and provide adequate team reinforcements when needed.
The team will look to their upcoming fixtures in early November against Crystal Palace and Sunderland AFC as an opportunity to bounce back. However, without significant strategic adjustments, similar setbacks may continue to plague Portsmouth Women’s campaign.
