Portishead Town 2 Slimbridge 6
By Matt Gillett / 17th August
Disappointment for Portishead Town as a rare below par performance, combined with a very good Slimbridge display,saw them exit the FA Cup. Clinical finishing by the visitors deservedly had them in the hat for the next round after a 6-2 win.
Almost a perfect Portishead start inside the first 30 seconds as Mason Winter’s ball into the box set up Jay Murray for aheader that looped on to the crossbar. A frenetic opening withlast ditch challenges snuffing out danger at either end. The opener wasn’t long in arriving though. Posset keeper Ryan Thacker made a good 5th minute save but Slimbridge kept the ball alive and Thacker could do nothing as Jack W Smith shot into the corner. In response Aaron Robbins crossed and Jordan Scadding, arriving late, headed just wide for Portishead. 10thminute and Posset equalised when Kyle Egan advanced into space before finding Jack Thorne wide left. His pinpoint cross was headed in by Murray.
Slimbridge, with pace in abundance, regained the lead after 16 minutes, as Casey Collins nodded home a right wing cross. As Slimbridge harried Portishead found it hard to keep possession with passes overhit or a yard short. Egan stretching couldn’t quite connect with a good Murray cross but it was the visitors scoring again on 33 minutes. A free kick out right ricocheted to Collins who fired in. And in the 43rd minute was 4-1 as Posset couldn’t clear a cross and Jack Smith scored.
Portishead manager Kye Mountford, clearly feeling decisive measures were required, made four substitutions introducing Hamish Hurst, Toby Lawrence, Jamie Adams and Mitch Osmond. A couple of minutes later Osmond recycled a corner to Egan on the left and his cross was headed in by Jason Quick, reducing the deficit to 4-2 at halftime.
While Posset pressed for another goal after the break, Slimbridge couldn’t be accused of sitting on their lead and Thacker needed to make several good stops. Meanwhile Slimbridge keeper Sarkodie reacted sharply to keep out a good Osmond effort. However, on 75 minutes the visitors got their fifth with Leighton Blacker finishing well after breaking on the right.
Osmond was desperately unlucky when his superb 84th minute free-kick cannoned off the post with Egan’s follow-up flagged offside. In added time Slimbridge’s Jacob Rodgers broke down the left and slotted in to make it 6-2.
This Portishead Town side have set incredibly high standards for themselves. Every team has setbacks, it’s the response that counts. In that regard Posset have not been found wanting,otherwise they wouldn’t have achieved the astonishing success of the last two seasons.
Thank you to Ollie Riddoch for these photographs.
Gary House Photography
Darren Vowles