A former Pompey pair has been given the opportunity to secure contracts with Woking.
Destiny Ojo and Sam Folarin started the Cardinals’ first preseason friendly on Saturday.
They played the first 45 minutes against Horsham before being removed at halftime in the scoreless draw at the Camping World Community Stadium.
Woking manager Michael Doyle knows the duo well from his stint as an assistant in Pompey’s Academy last season and has given the free agents a chance to shine.
Folarin, who made one Blues appearance, had trials with Millwall and Ipswich at the close of last season, but is now seeking for a non-league team.
Pompey discharged ten second-year scholars at the end of the campaign, with no youth under the age of 18 retained.
Although the massively built Folarin came on as a substitute for John Mousinho against Leyton Orient in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy in November 2023, he was named to three first-team cup squads in total.
However, he had short and failed loans with Poole and the Rocks, both of which saw him return to the Blues early.
Ojo, who spent 2023-24 on loan at Poole, Sholing, and Lancing, has previously tried at Colchester, which is headed by Danny Cowley, his former Fratton Park head coach.
Unlike Folarin, the attacker was a third-year professional who had never played a competitive match for the Blues’ first squad.
Instead, he impressed while on loan at Poole in the Southern League Premier South, scoring six goals and three assists in 22 appearances, seven of which were starts.
Nonetheless, following the duo’s tryouts with Football League clubs, the focus has shifted to National League Woking, who finished 17th last season.
Doyle took over in December 2023, when the club had won three games in three months and was in danger of relegation.
In his first managerial position, the Pompey League Two title-winning captain preserved their safety, finishing three points clear, and is now overhauling the Cardinals this summer.
Ojo and Folarin were among four trialists in Saturday’s starting lineup against Horsham, which was watched by 581 people.