DORCHESTER SPORTS RES 0

PORTLAND TOWN 4

DOMINANT Portland Town took the spoils in their derby with Dorchester Sports Reserves, winning 4-0 in the Dorset Senior League.

Enforced changes to both sides saw line-ups missing players from the previous week and it was Town who settled quicker.

From the off they were pressing Sports in their own half and after just 30 seconds former Sports wide man Jordon Moore just fired wide, cutting in from the left.

It was Moore again on six yards as he headed straight at home keeper Sam Duncalf after Leon Attree flicked on Harry Mitchell's throw-in.

READ MORE: Dorchester Sports 5-1 Poole Borough - match report

Amid Portland's persistent pressure, chances came and went.

Tom Cherry skewed wide when the ball dropped to him from a corner and a last-ditch tackle stopped Will Turland in his tracks.

However, the resistance was broken on 16 minutes.

Moore and Callum Norman worked the ball well on the left, Turland poked the ball wide to Gary Harvey and the veteran midfielder made no mistake with a driven effort into the far corner.

Town were hungry for more as Turland turned wide, Cherry shot into the side-netting on 19 minutes after killing Rob Townley's ball dead inside the full-back before the busy keeper turned another effort from him wide.

From the resulting Norman corner Portland went 2-0 up as Leon Attree rose highest to head his first of the season.

Marcus Scammell was a threat all afternoon, dropping into deep positions to try and get Sports up the pitch but a well drilled Town back line dealt with any long balls with ease.

Town were then denied a third, Moore running from deep to lob the keeper but a contentious linesman's flag scrubbed the score off.

The game remained one-way traffic as Cherry, Moore and Turland all struck goalward but fired fractionally wide.

Norman allayed any fears of a Sports comeback on 37 minutes when he scored a rapier-like effort from 18 yards after being teed up by the returning Joe Watters.

The second half was a largely more scrappy affair with niggly fouls and a raft of substitutions breaking up the play.

Sports mustered some efforts largely from distance but Town goalkeeper Ben Tyrell remained untroubled.

It was a different story at the other end, Norman twice bringing saves from Duncalf, one from a free-kick that he tipped over and then an acrobatic overhead-kick that was scrambled wide.

Cherry, Moore and substitute Ricardo Martins then bought smart saves from Duncalf before Cherry wrapped things up with a lovely whipped effort after more good build-up play, this time Martins and Norman combining.

Portland Town are currently fifth in the table but turn their attentions to the Dorset Senior Trophy against Chickerell United on Saturday for another derby (2.30pm).

Town: Tyrell, Mitchell (Driver), Watters (Owens), Attree, Townley, S Lambert, Harvey (Christopher), Norman, Moore, Turland (Martins), Cherry.

Codfathers man of the match: Callum Norman