Image: Dave Wagner
Match Report: Dave Ring
AFC Portchester 2-1 Portland United
Emirates FA Cup – First Qualifying Round
Saturday 5th September 2026 – 3:00pm
Oaklands Park. Chichester City
Attendance: 143
Portland United’s Emirates FA Cup journey came to an end at the First Qualifying Round stage on Saturday afternoon as they were beaten 2-1 by AFC Portchester at Oaklands Park.
After a difficult first half saw Portland two goals behind inside the opening 11 minutes, The Blues showed considerable character after the interval and gave themselves hope of forcing their way back into the tie when Ben Morris pulled a goal back on 62 minutes.
Despite plenty of effort in the second half, however, Portland could not find the equaliser and their FA Cup campaign came to an end.
It was a nightmare start for The Blues, who found themselves 2-0 down after just 11 minutes.
Good work on the edge of the Portland penalty area allowed the ball to be worked to Pennery, who played it into the path of Wort who drove his effort back across goal and into the far corner to put Portchester firmly in control.
Portland faced an uphill battle from that point but gradually settled into the contest and looked to get themselves back into the game.
The hosts had an opportunity to extend their lead shortly before the break when a cross from the right found Prior, but his header dropped just over the crossbar.
Portchester therefore went into the interval with a 2-0 advantage.
The Blues made an unplanned change after 25 minutes, with Brook replacing the injured Williams, as manager Kyle Critchell looked for a response from his side.
The second half was a much-improved showing from Portland.
The Blues came out with greater purpose and began to put Portchester under pressure, and that pressure eventually paid off just after the hour mark.
On 62 minutes, Ben Morris found the back of the net to halve the deficit and give Portland a lifeline.
At 2-1, the momentum had shifted and The Blues had something to fight for.
Two further changes followed shortly afterwards, with James White replacing Haydon Scott, while Archie Woolford came on for Alexandre Borges and new signing Jaydon Biss replacing Tom Peach.
Portland continued to push for an equaliser and showed plenty of determination, but Portchester defended their advantage and ultimately held on to progress to the next round.
Josh Camp was introduced for Jack Delves with ten minutes remaining as Portland continued to search for a way back into the tie, but the equalising goal proved elusive.
There was no lack of effort from The Blues, particularly after the interval, but ultimately the damage had been done during those opening 11 minutes.
For Portland, the disappointment will be considerable. Having already negotiated their way through the opening rounds of the competition, The Blues had hoped to extend their FA Cup adventure further following their promotion to Step 4 football.
Instead, their cup run comes to an end at Oaklands Park.
Attention now turns to the FA Trophy on Saturday at home to Thame United, where Portland United will look to put Saturday’s disappointment behind them and continue what has already been an encouraging first season at Step 4.
FT: AFC Portchester 2-1 Portland United
