Match Report: Dave Ring

Laverstock & Ford 2-1Portland United
Velocity Wessex Premier League
Saturday 3rd January – Kick-off 3:00pm
The Dell.

Two ruthless second-half strikes condemned Portland United to a New Year defeat at Laverstock & Ford’s Dell, as the hosts turned the contest on its head in the space of six decisive minutes.

The Blues could not have asked for a better start. Inside seven minutes Jack Delves pounced to fire Kyle Critchell’s side into the lead, rewarding a bright opening spell and silencing the Dell faithful. At that point, Portland looked every inch a side in form, extending their recent run of strong results.

But football rarely sticks to the script.

After holding their advantage through a competitive first half, Portland was undone shortly after the restart. Archie Lovegrove unleashed an unstoppable effort just before the hour to drag Laverstock & Ford level, shifting the momentum firmly in the hosts’ favour. Portland was still regrouping when TJ Moseley struck six minutes later, a clinical finish that completed the turnaround and sparked celebrations around the Dell.

Despite Portland’s efforts to claw their way back, Lavvy held firm to secure all three points and bring an end to the Blues’ three-match unbeaten run.

The defeat leaves Portland still fifth in the Wessex Premier League and inside the play-off places, but the gap is tightening fast, with Laverstock & Ford now just a single point behind in sixth.

Attention now turns to a demanding January schedule, with five fixtures to come before month’s end, including a mouth-watering Dorset Senior Cup semi-final against Dorchester Town.

First up, though, is the visit of Baffins Milton Rovers to the Camp & Satherley this Saturday, where Portland will be keen to respond in the right way.

Laverstock & Ford: Z. Roberts, H. Roberts, Colmer, Wakeford, Watson, Campbell-Smith, O’Keefe, Jackson, Moseley, Lovegrove (C), Cegielka.
Substitutes: F. Roberts, Budgell, Sykes, Arnold, Campbell-Smith.

Portland United: Foden, Coombs, Cleaver, Gadsby, Symes, Corbridge, Woolford, Williams (C), Borthwick, Jenkins, Delves,
Substitutes: Andrews, Scott, Camp, Joyce.