PORTLAND UNITED 0

HAMBLE CLUB 4

Chebby 39, 48, Gange 51, Wilkins 81

PORTLAND United were dumped out of a third cup competition this season as Hamble Club claimed a 4-0 victory in their FA Vase first qualifying round tie at the Weyline Stadium.

Callum Brooks’ Blues have been beset by squad exits, injuries and unavailability in what is quickly becoming an uncomfortable campaign.

The scale of the rebuilding job facing Brooks is growing ever bigger, with Portland still to win a game in the new term.

Portland lacked confidence up front in a first half in which the Blues competed well, but were again unable to find a killer ball or shot from promising positions.

Blues’ keeper Josh Lucas made a strong save from winger Sam Tonks before Hamble took the lead in the 39th minute.

Brandon Chebby first chased down and then robbed a hesitant Shaun Bessant of possession before sliding a shot underneath Lucas to put the Monks 1-0 up at the break.

With fortune so often deserting struggling teams, Portland were again snubbed by Lady Luck as Chebby doubled Hamble’s lead in the 48th minute.

After combining with Ollie Lovell, Chebby’s attempt took a wicked deflection, looping up off the covering defence and over Lucas into the net for 2-0.

Three minutes later the tie was all but sealed as Mac Gange pounced on a half-cleared cross to fire home from just inside the box.

Portland could have earned a lifeline were it not for messy attacking play as striker Eder Batista missed a clean-through opportunity before the islanders wasted a two versus one chance.

Left-back Louis Hankin then missed a golden chance but misdirected his header from three yards.

And Hamble added insult to injury with a late fourth, Ryan Wilkins rounding off a fine 50-yard solo run to finish clinically past Lucas.

Speaking to Echosport, Brooks berated his side’s absence of fortune.

He said: “If you take the game as a 90-minute whole we’ve conceded three times in 10 minutes.

“One was a deflection. When it deflects for us it goes in the stands, but it deflected in the goal no problem.

“Next one was a rebound but even then I thought we could get something out of the game.

“We’re not in great shape at the moment, but how we managed to lose that game 4-0 took a bit of doing.

“The quality of the game was so poor for both sides.”

Blues: Lucas, McKechnie, Hankin, Halloran, Bessant, Clarke, Morris (Coombs 85), Williams, Batista (Ryan 55), Whyton (Garbutt 75), Panesar-Dower.

Subs not used: Hutchinson, Bruton.

Attendance: 95

Match sponsor: Robin Satherley

Match ball sponsor: The Randall family

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