Teen starlet on trial with Birmingham

Former Pompey Academy coach Liam Daish has offered Adam Payce a Football League lifeline.

As previously revealed by The News, the attacking midfielder is leaving Fratton Park at the end of the season after failing to win a professional deal.

Payce has registered 14 goals in 31 appearances for the under-18s this season, while also skippers the side.

However, he must now look elsewhere to further his football career – bringing him to the attention of Daish.

The former Republic of Ireland international has served as Birmingham’s academy manager since November and recently invited Payce for a week-long trial.

Daish knows all about the youngster from his time working with Pompey’s academy as lead professional development phase coach, before quitting last summer.

And Payce has this week linked up with the Championship club bidding to earn a place in their under-21 set-up.

As a consequence of his impending trial, the midfielder was given permission to be absent from Pompey Academy’s trip to Stevenage last Saturday, which ended in a 3-0 defeat.

Payce, a second-year scholar, has featured three times for Pompey since November 2021, with all outings arriving in the Papa Johns Trophy.

He also lined-up for a Pompey XI in their Hampshire Senior Cup quarter-final defeat at Bournemouth last month.

Aside from Payce, the Blues are to also release promising youngsters Elliott Simpson, Jamie Howell and Gabriel Kamavuako, with the trio currently on loan in non-league football.

However, Josh Dockerill has been offered terms, with the central defender this week returning from a Bognor loan spell.