ALLENDALE 2

PORTLAND TOWN 6

PORTLAND Town beat bogey team Allendale 6-2 away in Dorset League Division One – with six different scorers finding the back of the net.

Missing a whole host of regulars, Town had a very experimental look to it with wide men Callum Allison and Gary Harvey in the centre of the park with Steve Lambert holding fort behind them. There was also a first start for ex-Dorchester Sports striker Will Turland who signed from Division Two side Broadmayne in the week.

Things could not have got off to a better start for the visitors though, as Harvey found Allison in the box with a neat pass and the latter chipped Ryan Sonner in the home goal from the tightest of angles after less than a minute.

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Tom Cherry then went close but his shot squeezed just wide and Steve Lambert’s corner clipped the bar.

It was all Town but after 17 minutes a monstrous throw from Scott Maidment caught the defence out and a Dale head buried the ball for 1-1.

The hosts now had their tails up but the game swung from end to end on a bobbly pitch.

However, it was Portland who hit the front again, Allison’s rapier-like pass finding the marauding Cherry on the left.

Cherry turned Peter Thorne one way then the other before planting a half-volley past Sonner, who had no time to react.

Town fully deserved their lead but were susceptible to the long throw which caused mayhem every time.

Allendale’s Aaron Clarke burst through from one such throw as it was launched from deep but Charlie Rogers just did enough to put the forward off.

They looked like they were going to hold out but in the 45th minute a corner came in and no one reacted other than Chris Roberts at the back post for 2-2.

After a frought half-time team talk, Town’s centre-backs were suddenly winning every challenge which set the team up well.

Lambert had been dominant in the Town midfield, ably supported by his runners in front of him, while Allison had seen enough on the hour and Danny Clifford entered the fray.

The moment they had probed for most of the half came on 62 minutes, Cherry with nice feet releasing new signing Turland and the striker made no mistake as he finished with aplomb from eight yards.

Town changed shape to avoid any gaps at the other end but the change actually bought the opposition onto them leaving gaps at the other end to exploit.

Ash Owens looped a cross in, Kev Paice flicked on and Clifford acrobatically finished with an overhead-kick into the bottom corner on 70 minutes.

Town were unrelenting now and in what seemed like only seconds later it was five, with Clifford upended on the wing.

Ross Pettitt fired in the free-kick and there was Paice again as he powered home a header.

Dale really had no answer and a sixth goal was the icing on the cake.

Pettitt was again involved, a long throw flicked on by Paice and there was Lambert whose effort skewed off his foot but found the bottom corner.

Victory moved Town into second ahead of a trip to league leaders Bournemouth Electric on Saturday.

Town: Theakstone; Owens (Paul), M Lambert, Rogers, Attree, S Lambert, Harvey, Allison (Clifford), Cherry, Paice, Turland (Pettitt).

Shakers Supplies man of the match: Steve Lambert