PORTLAND UNITED RESERVES 0

SWANAGE TOWN & HERSTON 1

PORTLAND United Reserves suffered their first home league loss of the season to Swanage Town & Herston in the Dorset Premier League.

Swanage scored the only goal of the game in the 11th minute as Neemo Nixon’s cut back was slammed home by Charlie Brassington.

Blues’ keeper Josh Hadley saved well from Nixon and Ocean Smith as the Swans applied real pressure before half-time.

Portland came out brighter in the second half and could have taken a share of the spoils with Jamie Harlowe clearing the ball off the goal line.

Home forward Manny Roche also fired wide when put clean through after a slick build up from back to front.

On reflection, home boss Justin Faulkner said: “It`s fairly safe to say we didn’t get going, perhaps the three-week lay-off had a part to play in that as we looked rusty and nervous.

“We made a lot of changes from what we have seen this season, perhaps that could also have had an effect on what we saw out on the pitch.

“We struggled to put anything together until the last 15 minutes when we finally (found) a rhythm and put them under constant pressure, but that proved too little too late.

“Some of these lads are still young and they need to learn that we need to start at minute one and concentrate for 90 minutes.

“We have seen how we can play when we move the ball and we have urgency and tempo in our play but we brought that far too late, it’s another lesson for these lads.”

Faulkner added: “After games like this I prefer to look at the positives, one of them would be that we have been able to blood another 17-year-old who is showing good promise in training.

“Maybe on another day we get something out of the game but it just wasn’t to be.

“We have come off the back of three good results which on reflection could have yielded four points more.

“It`s early days and I think a lot of teams are finding their level, all credit to Swanage they did the job they had to, they look like they are putting a handy side together.

“The frustration for us is that we’ve not played anywhere near what we are capable of to really test them for 90 minutes.”

Faulkner’s men host Dorchester Sports today (3pm).

Blues: Hadley, Hill, Camp, Tennant, Ty Butcher, Preston, Ryan, Garbutt, Borthwick, M Roche, To Butcher (Barrell). Sub not used: Joe Adkins

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