PORTLAND UNITED 1

BAFFINS MILTON ROVERS 3

PORTLAND United suffered a 3-1 defeat to Baffins Milton Rovers in a Wessex League Premier Division match marred by a bad injury to player-manager Franklyn Clarke.

Clarke was stretchered off after taking a knock to the back when the resultant severe spasms forced an early end to his afternoon.

Portland were already 1-0 down courtesy of Steve Ramsey’s deflected ninth-minute free-kick when Clarke departed on 24 minutes, replaced by Riley Greenwood-Neate.

After watching their boss go off the pitch, Portland regrouped and nearly claimed an equaliser on 39 minutes when Ed Sanders got back intelligently to clear a Ben Morris strike off the line.

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Baffins retaliated by mounting pressure late in the half, with Tom Vincent denied by Portland goalkeeper Mike Edgar and Jason Parish then shaking the underside of the bar.

However, it was Portland who scored next, taking less than two minutes of the second half.

Brin Doyle was the scorer, letting fly with a spectacular effort from 30 yards that gave Rovers’ keeper Roux Hardcastle little chance.

Portland’s goal gave them parity for less than a minute, though, as Baffins went straight up the other end and scored, Parish darting inside from the left and beating Edgar.

Frustrations duly began to grow for the Blues as skipper Ryan McKechnie saw yellow for a late challenge on Jack Francis.

And two minutes later Baffins were 3-1 up as Edgar attempted an ill-advised dribble past two Baffins players and was caught out, allowing Vincent to tap into an empty net.

Portland brought Harry Thomas, Marcus Smith and Connor Callow off for Troy Walbridge, Jamie Cleaver and Greg Borthwick in their efforts to get back into the game.

Yet they were denied by Baffins, who finished against ten men when McKechnie earned a petulant second yellow for an apparent push on Hardcastle.

Speaking after the defeat, Portland’s fourth consecutive home league loss, Clarke told Echosport: “We played OK in the first half and came out second half full energy, scored that goal which was fantastic.

“Then we concede a goal seconds after scoring. The whole momentum we built, and everything like that, we lost by conceding the second goal.

“We just didn’t really recover from that. It was a game we were looking at to take all three points from.

“Baffins are not too far above us in the league. The goals we let in, you’re not going to win a game when you’re gifting goals.”

On his own back injury, he added: "My back just went, I had spasms and my legs just gave way a little bit.

"My back's still going but I'm all good, I'll crack on. I'll get it checked out and see where I'm at."

Portland are back in action on Tuesday at home to Shaftesbury in the Dorset Senior Cup quarter-finals (7.30pm).

Blues: Edgar, Thomas (Walbridge 81), Callow (Borthwick 76), McKechnie, Ricketts, M Smith (Cleaver 81), F Clarke (Greenwood-Neate 24), Williams, Sayers, Doyle, Morris. Sub not used: Harvey.

Match sponsor: Grant Leighton

Match ball sponsor: Lighthouse Windows

Mascot: Josh Woods