Match report: Dave Ring.
Poole Town 0 – 2 Portland United
Dorset Senior Cup – Round One
BlackGold Stadium – Tuesday 11th November
Portland United booked their place in the quarter finals of the Dorset Senior Cup with an impressive 2–0 victory away at Poole Town, a side playing two divisions higher than the Blues.
It’s fair to say the Dolphins fielded a largely Under-23s side, but Portland themselves had several Reserve and Under-18 players involved, making the result even more rewarding.
Heavy rain before kick-off made for a slick and tricky surface, but both teams started brightly, adapting well to the conditions. The home side looked dangerous in the early stages, using the greasy pitch to their advantage, but it was the Blues who broke the deadlock on 37 minutes.
A perfectly weighted through ball found Pat Jenkins, who rounded the Poole keeper and calmly slotted into an empty net to make it 1–0 to Portland.
Both sides continued to create chances before the break, but the visitors held firm to take their slender lead into half-time.
Manager Kyle Critchell made three changes at the interval, introducing Hayden Scott, Kai Kilcoyne, and Korey Andrews for Josh Camp, goalscorer Jenkins, and captain Josh Williams. The impact was instant.
Just two minutes after the restart, Korey Andrews doubled the advantage, firing low past the diving Poole keeper Alex Hardy to make it 2–0.
Portland made their final substitution on 63 minutes, with Archie Woolford replacing the hard-working George Stuttle.
The hosts threatened to pull one back midway through the half when a fierce strike from a corner scramble looked destined for the net, but debutant keeper Callum Smalley produced a stunning save, diving low to his left to tip the ball around the post.
As the rain eased, Poole began to push forward, but the Portland back line stood firm to see out a deserved clean sheet and secure their place in the next round.
Final Score: Poole Town 0–2 Portland United
The Blues now progress to the Quarter Finals, where they will face Shaftesbury FC away at Cockrams on Tuesday 9th December (7:30pm).
Portland United: Callum Smalley, Jacob Coombs, George Stuttle, Max Fisher, Sam Gadsby, Callum Corbridge, Euan Joyce, Josh Williams (c), Remus Nixon, Patrick Jenkins, Josh Camp.
Substitutes: Harry Foden (GK), Hayden Scott, Korey Andrews, Kai Kilcoyne, Archie Woolford.
Poole Town: Alex Hardy, Theo Day, Zsombor Komaromi, Siam Aldridge, Martin Videnov, Archie Pollard, Scott Rowles, Francesco Bertorelli, Robbie Jenkins, Dwayne Yeboah, Luca Saunders.
Substitutes: Stainer-Reid, K. Campbell, White, Ayo, Noruwa.
