The BBC weather forecast was spot on when they forecast that heavy rain would fall on Portishead around 3 pm and last for an hour or so. Right on cue, the rain started and the wind picked up speed driving the rain almost sideways! This was a game of two halves with Portishead scoring 3 times in the first half and Warminster 2 in the second, final score 3 – 2.

On an ever-increasing slippery pitch, Warminster got off to a good start putting pressure on the home side’s defence. Portishead’s keeper was called into action several times the third of which in the seventh minute, earned him a yellow card for bringing down Warminster’s Conner McKay outside of the area and some might argue should have been a red one.  

It was the 12th minute when the home side opened the scoreline with a cross from the right finding Alex Chapman who made no mistake in scoring. The second goal came on the half-hour when  Portishead went down their left and with few passes cut through the Warminster defence like a hot knife through butter and the ball was in the back of the net, nestled in the bottom far corner by Robbie Cox.

The third goal and a brace for Chapman came in the 39th minute. This all started from a free kick just inside Warminster’s half which was sent to the left of goal then passed a couple of times across the front of goal to be launched back from the right into the six-yard box for Chapman to slide in and tap home. This really was a poor performance from the visitors who just did not defend as they have done in previous games.

No doubt there had been a very strong team talk at halftime and Warminster rallied to prevent the mistakes of the first-half. It was with the wet pitch and wind going to be a struggle to get back into the game. However, the Red & Blacks battled and fought hard to prevail.

Warminster went close on 58 minutes when Jack Miluk beat his man on the right and his shot went just to the left of the far post. Substitutions were made and on came George Butler followed later by Jake Wright both of whom went on to score. The first for Wright in the 79th minute when from the left side of the box he lobbed the keeper and the covering defender and the ball sailed elegantly into the top right-hand corner.

Warminster’s second goal was a great effort from Butler who in the 83rd minute lobbed a Portishead defender then volleyed the ball with his left foot into the back of the goal. Unfortunately, despite the much better football in the second half by Warminster the score finished at 3 -2 to the home side.

After the game assistant manager Rob McFerran commented:

“Andy and I are hugely disappointed with yesterday’s first-half performance. To go in three-nil down at half time to a team who are one from the bottom of the league is not acceptable. Perhaps the mindset was we just had to turn up to get the three points, but in this league that simply isn’t the case.

Portishead gave us a lesson in the first half on how desire and determination can take you a long way in this league, and their effort in the first 45 minutes effectively sealed them the three points, so credit to them. We rallied in the second half with Jake Wright and George Butler offering some hope, but it wasn’t to be.

Our good run had to come to an end sometime but the manner in which it happened was disappointing and I know quite a few of our players will be disappointed with their first-half performances. We don’t become a bad team overnight and the last six weeks we have been in fantastic form….perhaps a bit of complacency crept in? But lesson learnt and you can be sure of a reaction from the boys on Tuesday when we travel to high flying Cheddar.”