Falmouth Town 0 Portishead Town 1

Match Report by Matt Gillett / 17th March

Southern League Division One South

For a second time in four days Portishead Town beat Falmouth Town. But this 1-0 away win was of a different complexion to Saturday’s victory over the Cornish side.

Falmouth, undoubtedly smarting from the weekend’s 7-0 humbling, were fast at it. A right-wing cross inside 30 seconds presented danger before an excellent timed 4th minute Jamie Adams tackle prevented a home breakaway. But Portishead grabbed the early lead: Hamish Hurst met Kyle Egan’s perfect corner with a bullet header. Egan, the architect of much of the weekend’s play, found himself man-marked all night, frequently in the company of an additional defender whenever he took possession. Jay Murray once again tormented the home defence while between the lines Owen Humphries found pockets of space to create. All three suffered a number of meaty challenges.

Hugo Richards

Chances weren’t plentiful. Posset keeper Jakob Glover came off his line to save low in the 12th minute, and several times caught or punched clear balls into the box. At the other end, in first half stoppage time, Jack Thorne shot narrowly wide after Murray’s good work.

Humphries cut inside to bring a good 50th minute save from Falmouth’s keeper. Matt Britton and Mitch Osmond, in the thick of the midfield scrap, made their presence felt supporting Portishead’s attack. Thorne, who makes a habit of winning balls he has no right to, made way for Ethan Feltham on 58 minutes. In the 71st minute left-back Mason Winter burst forward to find Murray, Egan took possession in the box and released Murray who drew a good stop from the keeper.

Entering the final 10 minutes on the heavy, energy-sapping pitch, Falmouth sent increasingly frequent balls into the area. Hurst produced an 80th minute goal-line clearance with Ollie Woodhouse also making a number of important interceptions. As the home side’s aerial bombardment intensified, Glover, largely a spectator on Saturday, was immense. Repeatedly dealing with crosses, he clawed away an 81st minute effort from under his crossbar.

The game was poised as Falmouth, roared on by supporters, went route one. Posset, with their own noisy backing, broke several times through Feltham and fellow substitutes Lucas Vowles and Jaden Neale. Hurst’s two successive thundering tackles in the 5th minute of injury time brought a huge cheer from the Posset Army as Portishead finally got over the line.

Hugo Richards

If last weekend’s display showcased Portishead’s attacking flair, this game was at times about the no less important qualities of guts and resilience. Every Posset player stood up to be counted. I have a sneaking suspicion that players and management will derive as much satisfaction from this 10th away league win of the season, as they did Saturday’s breathtaking performance.