PORTLAND UNITED RES 19

STURMINSTER MARSHALL 0

"RUTHLESS" Portland United Reserves showed no mercy to struggling Sturminster Marshall, thrashing the Dorset Premier League’s bottom side 19-0 at home.

Stuart Beddingfield’s Blues were expected to win against the pointless Marsh but they also put in one of their best performances of the season.

The result was a mountain of goals and a clean sheet on a memorable day for the islanders.

Josh Camp scored a quintuple, while sub Troy Walbridge and Lance Wilson bagged hat-tricks.

READ MORE: Lymington Town 0-6 Portland United - report

Archie Woolford recorded a double and there were individual strikes for Harry Thomas, Jack Delves, Tom Butcher, Shane Evans, Riley Greenwood-Neate and John Pritchard.

Speaking to Echosport after putting Marsh to the sword, Beddingfield had conflicting emotions.

He said: “I know Sturminster Marshall have been struggling this season but you can only play what’s in front of you.

“We went out with our plan to play and we put that into practice. We were ruthless on the day.

“I’ve got a lot of sympathy. They’re obviously in a lot of transition and they’re going down a similar route to Portland with the youth.

“They’re a lovely bunch and I just hope they find a level that will be suitable for them and their development.

“At the same time, we’ve got to do our job. The main thing I asked the lads was to show humility and class.”

The Blues’ second string have been DPL strugglers themselves in the past few seasons but Saturday’s result put them into fourth in the current campaign.

Beddingfield lent his thoughts on the Blues’ turnaround in fortunes, adding: “It’s a few things, really. There’s been more stability this year.

“The lads who are performing well are getting chances with the first team, to train and play. There’s a very good structure at the club.

“The other thing is progression. They’re a year older, we haven’t mixed it and brought loads in, we’ve just decided to work with what we’ve got within the club, the 18s up to us.

“Some lads have come down from the first team that need minutes and some lads have gone up. It’s just worked, it’s been fantastic.”

He continued: “The first year I came in, they had a tough start. They were unlucky last year, there was a lot of upset with Frank (Franklyn Clarke) leaving and we were playing brilliant football but not winning.

“So, this year, what we tried to do was go back to a basic approach and try to be hard to beat. We’ve built on that platform which has put us in good stead.

“We’ve done well and now we’re looking to develop. We want to be in the top half, we don’t want to be looking behind us.”

Blues Res: Morgan, Cleaver, Camp, Delves (Ty Butcher 75), Evans, Greenwood-Neate (Walbridge 60), Howe (Richardson 70), Pritchard (Walker 71), Thomas, Woolford, Wilson (To Butcher 60).