Pompey prospect admits to ‘shock’ feeling when told he was set for full league debut

Jewitt-White celebrated a day he’ll never forget as he made his full Pompey league debut.

The Hayling Island lad impressed on his full League One bow on Saturday, as his side picked up a 1-0 win over Accrington in front of a crowd of 17,594 at Fratton Park.

The 19-year-old becomes the latest academy graduate to start a league game for the first team, but the first in recent seasons for the Blues.

Jewitt-White explained he didn’t find out he was getting the nod to start until he was told in training by John Mousinho the previous day.

That paved the way for a ‘surreal’ occasion for the midfielder, who sat in the Fratton End as a youngster supporting his team.

Speaking after the game, Jewitt-White said: ‘It’s obviously a special moment.

‘I found out yesterday at lunchtime, we were in training and we went through (the team’s) shape.

‘My name was mentioned then and it was a shock, I was pretty taken aback by it.

‘I managed to sleep well last night, but there was definitely a different feeling coming to the ground today.

‘It was great to have the fans behind me and hopefully I’ve been able to impress the manager.

‘I’m just so happy about it, it feels pretty surreal.’

Jewitt-White didn’t look overawed by the occasion for a moment, as he went up against an Accrington side fighting for their lives at the wrong end of the table.

He grew into the game, putting in some snappy tack Harry les and moving the ball forward to good effect for his side.

The former Oaklands School student, who had a loan spell with Southern League Premier South side Gosport Borough earlier in the season, was pleased with his showing and now wants to use his effort as a platform to grow from.

Jewitt-White added: ‘The main thing for me was to keep it simple and try to play forward when I can.

‘I managed to pass the ball forward a few times and get a couple of tackles.

‘It’s just class when you put a tackle in and the fans here celebrate it like a goal.

‘Now I want to push on and try to play as much football as I can.’

Jewitt-White previously featured for Pompey in the league as a substitute in January’s 2-1 loss away to Peterborough.