On a wet, breezy autumn evening on the Royal Manor of Portland, the young Blues took to the Camp & Satherley Stadium under the lights, ready for a big FA Youth Cup night against Millbrook FC U18s. The conditions were testing, but the atmosphere was full of anticipation.

From the first whistle both sides came out swinging, looking to seize the early advantage. It was Portland who struck first. On 33 minutes, Preston Hepburn produced a composed finish to open the scoring and settle any nerves. Just two minutes later, Harvey Davies doubled the lead with a superb strike of his own, sending the home supporters into full voice. And Portland weren’t done yet, on 40 minutes, Elson Ellis got in on the act, slotting home the Blues’ third to send the hosts into the break with a commanding 3–0 lead.

The second half started in much the same vein as the first, with Portland dictating play and Millbrook battling to find a way through a disciplined Blues back line that simply refused to be breached. The visitors pushed, but Portland’s defence stood firm, keeping their shape and shutting down any half-chances before they could develop.

Stand-in manager Lee Dowdell used the second half to rotate his squad, keeping legs fresh and rewarding effort. On 58 minutes, Hayden Burrows replaced the skilful Cory Roy; two minutes later, Max Fisher came on for Archie Lampard. A quickfire double switch followed as Sebastian Bobora-David replaced Elson Ellis and Jude Wash came on for George Ross-McKenzie. Late on, Dowdell made his final change, bringing on Jack Ansell for the excellent Jamie Cleaver, who had put in a tireless shift at the heart of midfield.