Tag: Portishead Town FC

Warminster Town 2 Portishead Town 0

With Sherborne Town and Welton Rovers back to winning ways, this match was always vital for Warminster to win. The visitors, Portishead Town, have already been beaten by Warminster in the away fixture and is a team towards the bottom of the table. The home side got off to a sluggish start, and although there was some improvement as the game went on, the team was well under par on the day. That being said, Warminster Town scored a goal in each half and, thanks to a super save from Thomson in the second half, kept a clean sheet. 

From the opening period of the match, Portishead must have felt that they had a good chance of coming away with a win and worked hard to score. Thomson was called into action after the visitors’ number 7 was allowed to get a shot on target in the 11th minute. Warminster seemed to have lost the feel of the ball as many passes were going astray, touches were too heavy and meant Portishead had much more possession than there should have been. 

Against the run of play, in the 25th minute, a long searching ball from Ian Jeffery bounced kindly for Miluk well inside the Portishead half. Miluk lobbed the onrushing keeper and continued running as the ball was heading wide of the right-hand post. He caught it up in time and stayed ahead of the chasing defender to be able to tap the ball home.

The rest of the match continued in a similar way, with Warminster struggling to keep possession. In the 74th minute, Thomson produced a terrific save from a thunderous on-target shot. No doubt this contributed to him being nominated as the man of the match.

The second goal came very late in the match. With just two minutes of normal time remaining, Wain was brought down in the box. Ian Jeffery blasted home the resulting penalty into the left side of Portishead’s goal to double the lead and seal the win.

The next match is away at Welton Rovers and will be a real 6 point battle for both teams. No doubt, on Saturday, February 19th, there will be a good crowd at West Clewes, Midsomer Norton for this one.

Team: Thomson, Pollock, Cockerill(s), Jeffery(c), Graham, Bartley(s), Miluk(s), Mortimer-Taylor, Johnson M, Seviour, McKay

Subs: (used) Humphreys, Wain, Vincent

(unused) Gardner, Butler

Portishead Town 0 Warminster Town 2

Warminster travelled to Portishead Town looking to keep their good form going. The game got underway under bright skies and with a bitingly cold wind blowing across the pitch. This game was by no means a classic, but Warminster came away with all three points. Final score Portishead Town 0 Warminster Town 2.

The home side started the first few minutes on the front foot, and it took a while before Warminster could get hold of the ball. Once they did, they began to show why they are doing well in the league. The opening goal came courtesy of Connor McKay in the 28th minute. McKay chased the ball down the left-wing and slid along the ground to prevent it from crossing the line. Getting quickly back on his feet, he ran along the byline, shot, and the ball squeezed between keeper and post.

Warminster doubled their tally in the 36th minute. McKay put the ball through to Lewis Graham, who deftly chipped the ball over the onrushing keeper.

The second half saw Portishead much more involved in the play, and the visitors had much more defending to do. On several occasions, the ball flashed across the Warminster goal, raising the travelling supporters’ heart rates. Warminster were not on their usual form in the second half and still managed a win, always a good sign in a successful team.

Warminster are in second place, and with top of the league Welton Rovers losing for the first time this season, it lets them draw three points closer to the league leaders. The final home match of this year is on Saturday, December 11th, when Oldland Abbotians, currently in sixth place, will be the opposition.

Team: Thomson, Pollock, Cockerill, Jeffrey, Lisowski, Churchyard, Miluk(s), Humphreys, Graham, Sheppard(s), McKay(s)

Subs: (All Used) Johnson M, Gardner, Hampson

Portishead Town 2 Warminster Town 2

Late Goal Denies Victory

Warminster Town travelled to Portishead on an extremely wet day and looking to get back to winning ways. An additional time goal scored by the home side snatched away the victory and produced a two all result.

Portishead Town took the lead in the 14th minute with a superb low drive from the left, driven across Hotine’s goal into the far-right netting. This was very much against the run of play as Warminster had created chances, particularly by the hard-working team top-scorer Francois Allen, who had failed to hit the target and missed a much better opportunity later.

The equaliser came as we entered additional time. Warminster won a corner, Jeffrey’s kick was headed clear and landed well outside of the box at Lisowski’s feet who fired the ball back on target towards goal. His shot was deflected off a defender, standing close to the goal, and into his net. Halftime 1-1.

Throughout the second half, Warminster were strong and creating chances. Ten minutes into this half, saw Miluk fouled in the penalty area. Jeffery stepped up to calmly slot the ball home into the left with the keeper diving the wrong way.

Just as Warminster had equalised in additional time in the first half, so Portishead Town did so at the end of this match. The home side won a free-kick, the ball headed down and fired home low beating defender De-Silva and keeper Hotine.

For all their hard work, Warminster had to settle for a single point, making it 10 points from 5 games, putting them in 6th place with Portishead one above in 5th.

Next match: Saturday, October 10th Warminster Town v Almondsbury FC

Team: Hotine, Sisson, Jeffery, De-Silva, Graham*, Churchyard*, Miluk*, Lisowski, Allen, Barnes, Butler
Subs (used) Seviour*, Bartley*, Johnson*

Warminster Town 2 Portishead Town 1

Having beaten Portishead Town twice already this season, scoring 5 goals in each game, Warminster should have been full of confidence to win this game. This game though did not see 5 goals in total but saw Warminster win 2 -1.

The visitors created so many chances in the first half that they should have easily won this game. The first chance came in the 4th minute when Chapman, one on one with Crabtree in goal, unbelievably put his shot just wide of the left post. More shots followed and then in the 12th minute with another easy chance, Sell skewed his shot well wide of the right-hand side of the goal.

Warminster got their first shot on goal in the 27th minute when Allen got a touch to send the ball towards the line, the ball was cleared but fell to Vincent whose shot was stopped by the keeper getting his body in the way for a corner. Shortly after this Alex Churchyard picked up a yellow card. In the 32nd minute, Vincent again forced the Portishead keeper, George Shanks-Boon into a save. 

Portishead’s efforts on goal were finally rewarded in the 36th minute, a long low ball down the right found number 7, Eastwood who cut into the edge of the penalty area, left-back, Ian Jeffery got a foot on the shot but the deflection carried the ball over Crabtree and into Warminster’s net.

One minute later, Portishead almost doubled their tally with a shot that went just over the crossbar. Their chances by now had reached double figures and 3 of which would be described as ‘sitters’ that were missed.

No doubt at halftime Warminster’s manager, Andy Crabtree gave an appropriate dressing room talk. The Portishead players were waiting on the pitch for while before the Red & Blacks and officials appeared. Warminster started much brighter and played well, cutting out the number of opportunities that had been afforded to the visitors in the first half. Mortimer-Taylor showed intent with his shot in the 53rd minute, which went wide of the post. Allen nearly scored Warminster’s first in the 67th minute, he got a glancing diving header sent just wide of the left-hand post. 

On 75 minutes Martin Johnson who had come on for James Vincent had an excellent chance to equalise when the ball fell to him at the far post from a corner on the left. Johnson tapped the ball towards the bottom right corner but due to a lack of power, the keeper got there in time to smother the ball.  Churchyard picked up his second yellow and now Warminster found themselves not just a goal down, but a man also. 

This, however, did not show on the pitch as the home side continued to battle and the break came in the 90th minute when Harry Barnes was brought down in the penalty area. Jeffery took the penalty and put the ball away with great confidence to draw the sides level. There was more drama still to come. Portishead’s manager received a red card possibly for something said about the awarding of the penalty. 

There were 10 minutes of added time in this game, and Warminster used every minute of it. Deep into added time Warminster crossed in a ball from the right which was met by the rising head of a defender and the ball finished in the back of his own net. There had been 2 other occasions in this half,  when they went close to scoring an own goal from the pressure created by the rejuvenated home side. 

This was quite a turnaround from the first half and manager Andy Crabtree had this to say after the game. “Today we were very poor first half and were very fortunate to go in only 1-0 behind, that said in the 2nd half we rolled our sleeves up and went about our work and should really have been level before we got a relatively soft penalty. One thing we don’t lack is character and we showed that again today after we were reduced to 10 men we went on to win the game.  All credit to the lads, they took on board what was said at half time and produced a very good 2nd half performance to send the supporters home happy.”

Team: Crabtree, McFerran*, Jeffery, Graham, De Silva, Churchyard (2 yellows), Miluk, Mortimer-Taylor, Allen, Vincent*, Fletcher*

Subs (*used) Barnes, McEntee, Johnson  

Abysmal First Half at Portishead

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.”