PORTLAND United boss Brendon King is unsurprised by the good form of his former club Hamworthy United ahead of visiting the Hammers in Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division action tomorrow (3pm).
King returns to the Specsavers County Ground having managed Hamworthy last season but will face the claret and blues in good form, with Callum Brooks’ men on a run of four wins in five league games.
Portland, who sit second, are in excellent shape themselves, winning their last six games in all competitions and scoring 22 goals in the process.
Ahead of the clash, King paid his respects to seventh-placed Hamworthy.
He told Echosport: “They’re going really well at the minute, they’re playing well, winning matches. It actually doesn’t surprise me because they’ve got some good players and a good squad.
“It’s going to be tough, so we’ll have to be really on it. They’re going to be saying the same things about us. In terms of everything it’s going to be a good game.
“We’ll be playing on the 3G, it might suit us and the way we play. We train at Redlands on a 3G so there’s no excuses.
“They beat Horndean on Saturday and they’ve got a bit FA Vase game coming up, so it’s going to be interesting.”
Four players – Shaun Bessant and Ed Bastick (both abdomen), plus Lewis Clarke (ankle) and Crit Clarke (unavailable) – miss out for Portland.
King said: “We’ll have to take stock and see where we’re at.”
Meanwhile, fifth-placed Portland United Reserves, winless for three games, host bottom side Wareham Rangers at the Weyline Stadium tomorrow (2pm) in the Dorset Premier League.
Manager Justin Faulkner said: “They are down there scrapping for their lives, because of the restructure to the non-League pyramid one club will definitely be relegated.
“When we played them away they were full of energy and put themselves about meaning we didn’t score until the 70th minute – then went on to win 3-0 in a game where we needed to stay patient.”
Faulkner added: “I expect more of the same. We definitely need to score earlier but they will be a threat.
“We aren’t going to take them lightly because the minute you do that and let any complacency set in you will get punished.
“We aren’t on the best run of form ourselves and I’m hoping we can prepare ourselves correctly and get a positive performance, then I’m sure that will lead to us taking the points.”
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