Image: Michelle Carr.
Match Report: Dave Ring.
Portland United v New Milton Town.
Camp & Satherley Stadium, Portland Saturday 1st November (3:00pm)
Saturday 1st November, Camp & Satherley Stadium (3:00pm)
Attendance: 100
Despite rain throughout the afternoon, the Camp & Satherley Stadium pitch held up superbly and allowed Portland United to turn in one of their most complete performances of the season, brushing aside New Milton Town with a convincing 4–0 win.
Portland wasted no time stamping their authority on the game. Inside 15 minutes, Jamie Cleaver opened the scoring, reacting quickest to a loose ball inside the box to drive home from close range. The home side continued to press, with Remus Nixon and Patrick Jenkins tormenting the visiting back line down both flanks.
The second half followed a similar pattern, Portland in full control and refusing to let the conditions dictate play. Their dominance was rewarded when Pat Jenkins made it 2–0 shortly before the hour, finishing calmly after neat build-up play.
As New Milton tired, Portland’s attacking quality told once again. Remus Nixon struck twice in quick succession (77’ and 82’), the first a low finish across the keeper, the second a tidy header from a corner, to seal his brace and round off an emphatic afternoon for the Blues.
Substitutes Euan Joyce, Thomas Peach, and Liam Sayers were all introduced late on as Portland saw out the game comfortably, maintaining their clean sheet and keeping the visitors pinned in their own half.
It was a professional, disciplined performance from start to finish, and on a day when the rain barely let up, the Portland pitch and the team’s football both shone through the gloom.
Finale score: Portland United 4 – 0 New Milton Town
Goals:
Cleaver (13’), Jenkins (58’), Nixon (77’, 82’)
Portland United: Cleaver, Camp, Coombs, Corbridge, Foden, Gadsby, Jenkins, Nixon, Scott, Stuttle, Woolford.
Subs: Smalley, Symes, Joyce (70’), Peach (89’), Sayers (89’).
New Milton Town: Bowmaster, Broad, Coat, Dixon, Foden, Kerney, Lowes, Mayo, McKeown, C. Smith, H. Smith.
Subs: Redknapp, Taylor, Thornton, Gill.
