PORTLAND UNITED 3

SOLENT UNIVERSITY 4

PORTLAND United suffered a shock 4-3 loss as Solent University ended the Blues’ run of six straight home Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division wins.

Brendon King’s men, flying high in second prior to the clash, feared the unpredictability of the student team and that anxiety came to pass in a seven-goal thriller.

In truth, Portland only had themselves to blame as poor defending and a missed penalty gave them too much to do.

Solent breezed into a 2-0 first-half lead as James Goodey collected a ball into the box, turned and swept past Tom Rees before Ethan Taylor crunched a first-time finish home from a long ball over the top.

Portland halved the deficit when half-time sub Eder Batista got across his man to convert a Jamie Beasley cross from 12 yards out.

But Solent responded immediately when Taylor scored a fine individual goal for 3-1.

Faced with another two-goal disadvantage, Portland bridged halfway as Ben Morris cushioned a Beasley cross to Batista, who slammed home his second from six yards.

The Blues had a chance to level when Jamie Symes was brought down in the area for a penalty, only for the midfielder to see his effort saved.

Symes atoned for his blunder five minutes later, smashing a loose ball in for 3-3.

With a draw looking likely, Solent upset the odds from another long ball as Taylor looped a finish over keeper Tom Rees to complete his hat-trick in the 92nd minute and take the points to Hampshire.

Speaking to Echosport, Blues’ boss Brendon King voiced his displeasure at what was Portland’s third league loss of the campaign.

He said: “In midweek, you don’t know what you’re going to get with (Solent).

“In true honesty, we were poor. We got ourselves back in the game but we conceded some really poor goals and missed a penalty.

“Ultimately you’ve got to outrun and outfight the other team – we didn’t do that. Whether or not there was little complacency?

“Before the game we told (the players) this was a potential banana skin.

“We’ve come unstuck.”

Portland’s defeat demotes them to third after Christchurch took a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth Poppies.

Having gained three points on leaders Alresford at the weekend, Portland conceded them straight back after the table-toppers defeated Shaftesbury 4-2 – Dorchester’s River Smith netting a brace for the latter.

Portland next play Brockenhurst at the Weyline Stadium in league action on Saturday (3pm).

Blues: Rees, Bessant, L King, Symes, Clarke, Stewart, M Buckler (Batista 46), Halloran (Williams 55), Morris, Beasley (Bastick 70), Rowe.

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