AFC Stoneham 4 Portland Utd 2

AFC Stoneham vs Portland United match report: by

Stoneham returned to Stoneham Lane once more as they played host to Portland United in a 4-2 win on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Ash Pope along with an own goal and tap ins from close range by Duarte Martins and Tyrell Sampson secured the win.

Stoneham’s first chance of the game came after an incisive defence splitting pass from Jake Thomson into Oli Jenkins who laid the ball off to Jim Orvis, however Jim’s scooped effort was easily saved.

The home side took the lead on the twenty five minute mark with their first meaningful effort on target. A quick break was instigated by Jamie Johnston who hit a through ball over the top to Ash Pope who was able to finish in a clinical manner on the half volley.

Jamie Johnston came close to doubling the lead on the forty minute mark. His initial free kick hit the wall and sailed back to him before he struck a venomous volley that was well saved by the goalkeeper forcing the corner, which Lewis Nagle was only able to volley harmlessly wide. The away side were always a threat from long throws however and that paid dividends just before half time as Sam Gadsby was able to flick the ball on and equalise with an effort that Ross Casey was only able to palm over the line.

The response was quick from Stoneham, a driving run from Lewis Nagle provoked an attack before he laid the ball into Duarte Martins who drilled the ball across the box which was turned home for the own goal by Max Buckler. The Purps were on top in the early stages of the second half, with Jim Orvis coming the closest with a shot that spun harmlessly wide. The Purps had a glorious chance to go ahead ten minutes from time after Ash Pope pulled the ball back to Oli Jenkins but Jenkins was unable to keep his effort under the bar.

Stoneham pressed and scored an offside goal from the head of Lewis Nagle before Duarte Martins tapped home and secured victory. There was still time for Tyrell Sampson to add a fourth, tapping home after good work from Oli Jenkins.

Interview with Manager, James Phillips.

Post Match Interview: (H) against Portland United

It was a close run thing, but you got there in the end. What did you make of that one

James?

Yeah, you are right, got there in the end that’s all I can say. Overall performance I

thought we were so dominant, really good first half but two poor goals from us. That

wasn’t like us, I said that to them at half time about that being not like us and then

the second one was just as bad, so disappointing from that point of view. But, at this

stage of the season in games like this, you just have to find a way to win. All credit to

the boys, they stayed patient, trusted what we do and managed to get two late goals.

Persistence is a key characteristic to be successful in football, does today show how

important it is?

Yes, 100%. It would have been very easy for heads to drop after their second goal.

In the end, when we scored our third goal, I think there was about four minutes left of

play, but you are exactly right with persistence. I thought that we created enough

chances, OJ has fired just over, one at the near post and obviously Nagle’s header.

So we still created enough, but it needed some belief to go to the end and they

showed that today.

In terms of the opposition, they had a managerial change this week, what did you

feel that brought to the table for them today?

Me and Marshy always joke that every time we play Portland, they seem to have a

new manager in place. We warned the boys about that, the classic new manager

bounce, the players will play, they will show lots of enthusiasm and lots of desire to

impress the new guys. It is obviously great to see Carl back, he is a really good guy.

We knew they were going to be robust, rugged and stay in the game and try and pile

it on a bit on set pieces and that’s what they did, but I was very impressed with them

today, they had a young team that did well.

Obviously you have quite a few games coming up and you have brought a new

name in Josh Williams in to help the team during that, what will he bring to the team?

First of all he is a very talented midfielder. Obviously we are losing Welchy for a bit

with his travelling and we felt that we needed another body in there. Williams has a

bit of a different profile to what we already have in there, he gets after the ball well,

has plenty of energy and runs all day long, and he has a bit of bite about him as well.

I think he will be a great asset to us from now until the end of the season. We were

hoping to get him involved today but there was a bit of a delay with the registration,

but he will be involved from Tuesday and I am looking forward to working with him.

He is a great kid, will fit in very well with us, so I am sure he will do very well.

Speaking of Tuesday, you have got to know Millbrook well this season, what are your

thoughts ahead of that one?

Yes, Millbrook again! But I am looking forward to it. I will be honest, it has come at a

bad time for us really with todays game and the Vase next weekend, this next couple

of weeks is really important for us. But that is why we have got a big squad, but you

look at the bench today, to have them sat behind us is incredible and the strength in

depth we have is excellent, and for it to stay that way we have to keep them happy,

so there will be quite a few changes for Tuesday, but we will put out a team that we

believe can win and take them on again.

AFC Stoneham 4 Portland United 2

4 January 2025

Grigg Lane having fallen victim to the frost, the Content Adviser and I had a quick look at the remaining fixtures, and decided to take (another!) unscheduled trip to Stoneham Lane… pretty much guaranteed to be on, and very easy to reach for both.  Believe it or not, this was the fifth time we’ve watched the Purps this season (previously home and away in the league, once in the Russell Cotes, a random FA Trophy game against Royal Wootton Bassett Town): don’t go getting any ideas, they’re not a second team, it’s just happened that way!

The hosts did get their noses over the line in the end, but this was a much tougher assignment than the final score suggests: for the second week in a row, Stoneham were the better side in quite a tight game, just about deserved to win but struggled to put their seal on things.  The Purps can no doubt play better, and will need to; but ultimately they did enough. 

The game started slowly: Orvis powered a shot goalwards in the 4th minute, well tipped over by Moggeridge, but the visitors were solid, and 25 minutes passed with no other incident… and suddenly, one long ball over the top, Pope ran onto it in splendid isolation (looking more offside than a couple that had been given previously) and smashed his shot past the keeper to open the scoring.  That didn’t open the floodgates, although Portland picked up a couple of yellow cards for late challenges and could possibly have had a couple more; they weren’t overly physical but some silly and unnecessary fouls.  42 minutes, referee Harry Redman gave Stoneham a free kick for something we didn’t see: Johnston straight into the wall, but the ball came back to him and his excellent volley was tipped over.  And then, 44th minute, a throw for Portland, flicked on and, to everyone’s surprise, in at the back post through a crowd of players from Gadsby, and the visitors were level.  Cue disgruntlement in the stands… the Purps upped the energy, Nagle with a great run down the left, good cross – two defenders converged on it ahead of Martins, and the ball cannoned in off one of them for an own goal.  I have no idea which, and I doubt they want to claim it.  HT 2-1

The second half started with a few Stoneham corners which Portland didn’t find easy to defend, and on 50 minutes Orvis bobbled a shot just wide with the keeper nowhere, but the game settled back into its familiar pattern of home possession and solid visiting defence.  Going to take a minute here to mention Troy Walbridge for Portland, playing the lone role up front, worked exceptionally hard, great hold-up play, credit to him.  Then another “out of nowhere” moment; a free kick on the halfway line to Portland (no idea why this was given, right in front of us), played high to the edge of the box; keeper Casey came for the ball into a crowd of players, didn’t collect it, the ball broke loose and a golden chance for the Blues smashed against the bar, another shot seemingly handled by Martins on the line but again recycled and this time squeezed home for a second equaliser by Cleaver.  Personally I didn’t see a foul on the keeper and a goal looked the right decision.  So the hosts had to do it all again.  Jenkins blazed over the bar with 12 minutes to go… it was actually quite hard to call, the hosts looked the more likely but it wasn’t entirely one-way traffic (and there was one glorious, outrageous turn from Portland sub Stavrianos which sadly led to nothing).  Three minutes left: another cross into the Portland box, the shot badly mishit and heading well wide, hit Sampson who was standing almost on the byline and somehow the ball rebounded and spun high across goal and in! – but Sampson was miles offside… no goal.  90 seconds left – a cross into the box, headed back across by Jenkins and headed home by Martins from four yards to give Stoneham a lead that they would not, this time, let slip.  And just into injury time, another cross, a weak header from Martins but Moggeridge fumbled it, the ball squirmed loose along the line and Sampson scored from about two yards to finally put clear purple water between the teams.  FT 4-2

Not a bad game, overall.  Six goals, interesting clash of styles, credit to Portland for their organisation and for not folding, barely taking a backward step; but credit to Stoneham for finding a way.  And let’s just say, whatever happens, I won’t be following them to Portishead next weekend