PORTLAND UNITED 4

SWANAGE T&H 3

PORTLAND United fans had to wait more than two months for a home fixture at Grove Corner, but they were treated to an absolute corker of a contest between the Blues and Swanage Town & Herston on Saturday.

Seven goals and two red cards throughout 90 minutes made for a pulsating spectacle, in which the home side held on to record their 18th league victory of the cam-paign.

Goals from Jake Price and Ashley Smith put island manager Gary Bailey’s men in control just short of the half-hour mark.

But Portland were rocked after they lost Lewis Clarke after 35 minutes. He was given a straight red card after being adjudged to show dissent to one of the referee’s assistants. Commenting on the incident, Bailey had no defence for his player.

He told Echosport: “I have heard both versions of it and they don’t differ on the words that were said but they do differ on who they were aimed at.

“I can’t condone it and I can’t defend it. He has said what he’s said and the linesman made the referee aware of it.”

With a man advantage, the Swans then struck twice in quick succession through Chris Woods and Landon Arthur to level things up at the interval.

Bailey added: “I said at half- time that we could either chuck the towel in and get nothing out of it or we could carry on doing what we were doing for the first half an hour and forget about the one- man advantage.

“We were playing so well I didn’t really think it was going to bother us and it didn’t.”

A glancing header from Carl Mutch then restored the islan-ders’ lead and Smith added his second to make it 4-2 as he pounced on the follow-up after 72 minutes.

But that wasn’t the end of the drama at Grove Corner, as Swanage stopper Judd Huse was dismissed for a foul on the last man, meaning Jack Watson donned the gloves for the final minutes.

The visitors then added a consolation through Garran Bennett to make it 4-3 with almost the last kick of the game.

Commenting on his side’s display, Bailey added: “It was a terrific first half an hour and a brilliant second half with 10 men.

“I was really pleased with the players apart from the sending off. It could have cost us but the lads battled together, stuck together and made sure we got what could prove to be a really important three points at the end of the season.”

The win leaves the Blues two points adrift of leaders Merley Cobham Sports, who beat Weymouth Reserves 4-1 to remain at the top.

Blues: Boyt, Bessant, Whyton, Carmichael, Holland, Mutch (B Doidge), Smith, Bastick, McKechnie, Price (May 70), Clarke. Subs not used: Linaker, Hadley

Match ball sponsor: Bill and Liz Babb

Programme sponsor: Embrace Health & Beauty, Spa Road, Weymouth