Sunday 30th March
AFC Portchester U18’s v Christchurch U18’s Reserves


Manager’s Tony Bernard & Neil Magookin selected the following line up…

James Collins, Karl James, Harry Jeffries, Joe Proctor, Frank Rollins, Callum Palfrey, Jacques Bernard, Kieran Goldrick, Lewis Horder, Dean Robertson, Elliot Peck

We arrived at AFC Portchester after three weeks without a game to try and strengthen our position for runners up in the league. As we made our way towards the changing rooms we could see that the pitch was clearly unplayable, with masses of water and mud filling much of the pitch. After more than a thirty-minute delay, the referee and managers had decided that the parks pitch opposite was the only solution to being able to play our match. Eventually we got underway, and in the 1st minute Harry Jeffries had a header cleared off the line from a Karl James corner. Christchurch then put a lot of pressure onto the Portchester goal and had another header cleared off the line, this time Lewis Horder was the unlucky player. It was surely only a matter of time before Christchurch took the lead, and in the 9th minute Elliot Peck took on two players and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper into the bottom left hand corner. The game was still being played at a high tempo and each team had their fair share of possession. Jeffries and Frank Rollins both had free kicks, the keeper touching one over the bar and the following going well wide. Then in the 20th minute AFC Portchester, with basically their first chance scored from a free kick just outside the box which James Collins could only palm into the net. The game was all level and soon afterwards Horder had a goal disallowed for a foul. Christchurch had the best of the half, but to no avail.

Half time: AFC Portchester U18 1 – 1 Christchurch Reserves U18

In the second half Christchurch came out strong, looking for the goal to take the lead, and in the opening few minutes of the half Jacques Bernard went close with two shots over the bar, and Peck also with a shot over. Peck again hit a right-footed shot over the bar, and at this point Christchurch couldn’t turn their dominance into a goal. Bernard connected with a Jeffries free kick but headed a yard wide of the goal, and from another Jeffries free kick Horder volleyed over from close range. Just as it seemed as though it wasn’t going to be Christchurch’s day Horder collected the ball on the edge of the area and on the turn drilled the ball into the right hand corner of the net to make it 2-1 Christchurch!! The relief on the Christchurch players’ faces was clear to see as they had made that break through. The game had calmed down now as Christchurch eased off the pressure, but with the game still in the balance AFC Portchester were only one goal away from an equaliser. So when Peck linked onto a through ball, took the ball around the goalkeeper and walked the ball into the empty net, it seemed as though, with 10 minutes to go the game had been tied up. Christchurch squandered another couple of chances in the next five minutes, but in the 85th minute, from a Jeffries back pass, James Collins hesitance to clear the ball lead to the Portchester player to intercept the ball and touch the ball into the net. Portchester grew in confidence from this opportunity to snatch a point from the game and missed a good chance from a header a minute later. Dean Robertson then went close, until Horder put the game to bed in the 89th minute after a goalmouth scramble, when the ball popped out to Horder just to touch the ball into the net. The full time whistle went and Christchurch were delighted with their hard fought victory and their chances of runners up are still very strong with a game to go!

Final score: AFC Portchester U18 2 - 4 Christchurch U18 Reserves 4

Report by Jacques Bernard