BOSCOMBE POLONIA 1

PORTLAND UTD RES 3

PORTLAND recovered from consecutive defeats to record a win which could have been more emphatic had they made more of their opportunities.

Included in the Portland line-up was Sam Buckler as he continues his rehabilitation from a broken leg, which ended the former Bridport player’s season last season. Carl Mutch also got some game time.

The Blues went ahead through Adam Linaker early in the first half when he pounced on a loose ball in the area to fire home emphatically.

The hosts levelled against the run of play, when a clearance from the Polonia defence found a striker in behind the visitors’ rearguard, and he made no mistake with the finish.

Boscombe then went close again as a rasping drive from 30 yards was dealt with by Dan Quinault in the Blues’ goal. That would be as good as it got for the hosts as Linaker notched the second of the game and his fifth of the season when Liam Gould’s delivery in to the box was stabbed home by the striker.

It could have been better for the islanders as Jordan Moore hit the crossbar from six yards, the ball bouncing down on to the line and out with the Blues appealing that the ball had crossed the line.

After the break, the hosts applied the pressure forcing successive corners and Dan Quinault impressively stopping a one-on-one but Portland stood strong and rode out the pressure before exerting their own on their

hosts.

With the game getting stretched more chances were created, the best chances fell to Leon Attree as his header cleared the crossbar when unmarked with a free header from Gould’s delivery and Moore stinging the hands of the home stopper when being played in on the left.

Linaker then completed his hat-trick when he picked up a ball on the edge of the area before turning inside and firing a low shot into the bottom corner.

Portland missed more chances as substitute Conor Milnes found himself one-on-one only to be denied by the Boscombe goalkeeper.

Islander boss Justin Faulkner said: “It was good to see Sam Buckler get through his first 30 minutes of football unscathed on his way back from that horrific injury.

“However, the plaudits go to Adam Linaker who is still scoring goals, he has achieved a lot in the game while at Portland, in fact if you cut him I think he’d have blue blood.”

Portland: Quinault, Will, Bigg, Attree, Buckler, Gould, Lister-Smith, Townley, Linaker, Mutch, Moore, Taylor-White, Milnes