Portland United Reserves 1–3 Bournemouth Electric
Dorset Premier League – 13 December (2:00pm)
Camp & Satherley Stadium
Bournemouth Electric delivered a statement performance on the road, securing a dominant 3-1 victory over Portland United Reserves on a chilly Saturday afternoon. The scoreline was a fair reflection of the visitors’ clinical edge and overall superiority.
The Electric wasted no time in plugging into the action. Just four minutes into the contest, the Islanders’ defence was caught in a chaotic meltdown. A menacing corner kick sailed into the box, causing instant panic. As both defenders and the home keeper fumbled to clear the danger, the loose ball dropped invitingly to the Bournemouth striker, who showed ice-cold composure to slot home and stun the home crowd with an early lead.
Portland scrambled to recover their shape, and the ensuing period saw a tense battle for midfield supremacy, with possession evenly shared. However, just past the half-hour mark, Bournemouth struck a hammer blow in the 34th minute, finding the net with a superbly executed goal to double their advantage. The visitors marched into the interval 2-0 up, looking comfortable and in control.
HT 0-2
The second half began with a renewed fire and urgency from the Portland side. They poured forward, creating a handful of promising opportunities, but frustratingly, they lacked the final clinical touch needed to breach the resilient Electric defence.
Their persistence finally paid off in the dying moments of the game. In the 89th minute, the cheers finally erupted as Michael Powell broke through, firing home to give the Reserves a dramatic, late lifeline. Was a monumental comeback on the cards?
Bournemouth Electric were in no mood for miracles. Instead of wilting under the pressure, they held their nerve and delivered a devastating counterpunch. Deep into injury time, the visitors pierced the home defence one final time, scoring their third goal to emphatically seal the 3-1 result and extinguish any lingering hope for Portland.
FT: Portland United Reserves 1-3 Bournemouth Electric
The defeat sees Portland United Reserves drop further towards a relegation scrap, now occupying 16th place in the league table.
