On a blazing hot afternoon, Warminster Town faced an in-form Portishead Town on their home turf, The Playing Fields, Bristol Road. Despite the high-temperature forcing two water breaks, Warminster put in a massive effort and played at a very high tempo to give them all 3 points in an impressive 2 – 5 win.
Due to the colour of the home side’s kit, Warminster still have not been able to sport the new away kit which will have to wait for another day. The game produced seven goals and especially for the visitors could have been many more with the number of chances created even in additional time at the end of the match.
The opening goal came for Warminster, just after 4 minutes with superb build-up play by Ashton Shanley who played the ball to Jack Miluk. Jack made sure of the goal with a left-footed strike into the bottom right corner of the net.
The Red & Blacks second goal came in the 16th minute when Miluk received a throw-in from the left which the keeper’s parried save rebounded to Charlie Walton who blasted the ball home into the open net. By this time, Warminster could have scored a couple more with the shots they had. Portishead went close to scoring in the 24th minute with a point-blank shot that went across the entire face of the goal and out for a goal-kick.
The first-half finished with Warminster taking a pleasing two-goal lead into the break which they enjoyed under the shade of some trees rather than in the hot dressing room.
The second-half got underway with a very early chance for the home side when they hit the post on 47 minutes. The resulting goal kick created an almost route one goal for Warminster when Miluk picked up the ball deep inside Portishead’s half and got behind the defender, squared the ball to James Vincent who tapped it home for the third goal.
The home side pulled one back on 56 minutes, but this did not stop Warminster from continuing to attack. In the 63rd minute a through ball from Lewis Graham finds Vincent, he gets away from the defender, rounds the keeper and finishes well scoring his second. Within a minute Walton runs at the defence and scores the fifth and his second, into the bottom left of the bewildered home sides goal.
Warminster’s central defender, Henry McFerran was substituted for Stuart Lisowski. Charlie Walton dropped into his place and subsequently tackled in the box, winning the ball but deemed to be dangerous play. Portishead awarded a penalty which was duly dispatched making it now 2 – 5.
On 85 minutes a red card was issued to Portishead’s number 11 for a two-footed lunge, and a minute later number 14 was sent to the sin-bin for dissent leaving. With nine men to see out the final few minutes, Warminster rained down a series of shots which unfortunately didn’t increase the tally on a magnificent away victory.
Warminster next play on September 7th with an away trip to Wells City.
Team: (subbed*) Ball, Baggs, Barnes, Graham, McFerran*, Churchyard, Miluk(1)*, Walton(2), Vincent(2)*, Mortimer-Taylor, Shanley
Subs (used*) Lisowski*, Allen*, Johnson, Butler*, Crabtree