PORTLAND UNITED 3

Beasley (2) , Symes

HAMWORTHY UNITED 0

PORTLAND United eased to an impressive 3-0 victory over Hamworthy United at the Weyline Stadium to rise to third in the Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division standings.

The Blues delivered an excellent display in every department and took the lead when Jamie Beasley superbly finished following a well-constructed team move.

Beasley got a second before half-time when closing down Hamworthy goalkeeper Nicholas Hutchings and forcing an error from which the winger tucked home.

At 2-0, Portland went into the break in comfort and wrapped up the win when Jamie Symes profited from another flowing move to seal the points.

With manager Brendon King unavailable for the clash, the Blues were overseen by assistant-manager Mark Carter and first-team coach Stuart Heath.

Speaking to Echosport, Heath described Portland’s general performance as “excellent”, with a valuable clean sheet also of note.

He said: “It was an excellent win for us.

“It wasn’t just the result, it was the general all-round performance.

“It was somewhere near to our top potential, which is what we’ve been searching for since the start of the season.

“We’ve got the potential to be an outstanding team, I believe, and while our league record is pretty good I don’t think we’ve played to our full potential.

“I know you can’t do it every week but I’d like to see us do it most weeks and grind out results in the other games that we don’t quite hit those heights.”

He added: “(Hamworthy) was a real setting of the standard in how we want to play.

“Myself and Mark asked the players before the game to play a bit more football.

“We’ve got some good players and I feel over the last few games we’ve been bypassing them a little bit by going a bit too direct.

“We wanted to utilise the excellent technical players we’ve got, especially in midfield and out wide, and I thought we did that really well.

“Some of the football on show was not just entertaining, not just for possession’s sake, but had a real purpose and drive. We were creating chances.

“It was our all-round intensity and willingness to win the ball back when we didn’t have it.

“That was typified by Jamie Beasley’s goal, making the effort to pressure the goalkeeper into a mistake and getting the rewards with a goal.”

Portland next host 19th-placed side Team Solent on Saturday (3pm).

Blues: Lillington, Doidge, C Clarke (S Buckler 75), Stewart, Whyton, Walker, McKechnie, M Buckler, Watts (Bastick 65), Symes, Beasley (Godfrey 70).

Match Sponsor: Tony Pidgely

Match Ball and Programme Sponsor: The Cranny Family

Man of the Match was chosen by the match sponsor and went to Sean Stewart

Attendance: 131

CONTACT ME:

t: 01305 830990

e: neil.walton

@dorsetecho.co.uk

twitter: @EchoSportNeil