Image: Michelle Carr
Match Report: Dave Ring
Portland United v AFC Stoneham
Saturday 11th April 2026 3:00pm
Camp & Satherley Stadium
Attendance 321
Portland United signed off their home league campaign in style with a hard-earned 2–1 victory over champions AFC Stoneham at the Camp & Satherley Stadium, as swirling winds on the Isle of Portland played their part in a fiercely contested encounter.
With third place and a home playoff tie on the line, the Blues produced one of their most complete performances of the season, overcoming both the newly crowned champions and the testing conditions in front of an excellent crowd of 321.
From the first whistle, it was clear the elements would have a say. A strong, blustery wind swept across the ground, and Portland used it to their advantage early on, pinning Stoneham back and dominating territory. Despite that pressure, clear chances were limited, and the visitors remained a threat from set pieces, one free kick drifting harmlessly wide midway through the first half.
The breakthrough came on 38 minutes and it was no more than the Blues deserved. A well-worked move ended with Patrick Jenkins finding space to fire home, sending the home crowd into raptures and giving Portland a 1–0 lead at the break.
Stoneham, unbeaten in 31 matches coming into the contest, responded after the interval. With the wind now in their favour, they began to assert themselves more, and their equaliser arrived on 57 minutes when Duarte Martins found the net to level proceedings.
The game hung in the balance as both sides battled not just each other, but the increasingly unpredictable conditions. Portland, however, refused to be rattled and produced a moment of real quality to regain the lead. Man of the match Remus Nixon stepped up and unleashed a stunning 25-yard strike that flew past the helpless goalkeeper, an unstoppable effort that ultimately proved to be the winner.
Stoneham pushed hard for a second equaliser and came agonisingly close with ten minutes remaining, only for a superb full-stretch save from the Portland goalkeeper to deny Jake Thomson’s goal-bound header.
The Blues management shuffled the pack in the closing stages, with Connor Ings, Korey Andrew and Euan Joyce all introduced to help see out the game. Their impact, combined with a determined defensive effort, ensured Portland held firm through to the final whistle.
At full time, the result not only ended Stoneham’s remarkable unbeaten run but confirmed Portland United’s third-place finish and a coveted home playoff tie.
On a day when the wind howled across the Royal Manor, it was the Blues who stood strongest, delivering a statement performance against the league’s best at exactly the right time.
FT: Portland United 2-1 AFC Stoneham
Portland United: Foden, Coombs, Peach, Cleaver, Gadsby, Corbridge, Camp, Williams (C), Nixon, Delves, Jenkins.
Substitutions: Scott, Ings, Joyce, Andrews, Woolford.
AFC Stoneham: Lee, Miller (C), Wells, Annetts, Sampson, Jenkins, Martins, Fee, Dyer, Orvis, Thompson.
Substitutions: Cluett, Nagle, Welch, Johnston, Kirby.
Match Officials
Referee: Des McCulloch
Assistant Referees: Jacques Bernard & Alfie Farrar
