Bashley hit US Portsmouth for five

Wessex Football League Premier

US Portsmouth FC 0
Bashley FC 5

BASHLEY'S impressive league form continued with a convincing result against United Services Portsmouth at Victory Park which took them to second place in the table.

One of three injured defenders attempting a comeback, Jack Smith failed to make it past the warm-up and was replaced by Bue Bennett, but this last-minute change appeared to have little effect as Bashley scored within five minutes.

Ollie Bradley – a permanent thorn in the side of the Servicemen – started his torment when brought down in the penalty area after a solo onslaught on goal. A penalty which Lewis Ross converted with aplomb.

Bradley was unstoppable for the next 10 minutes, but his goalmouth supply disappointingly did not bear fruit. USP crept back into the game, and it took a timely leap by keeper Sammy Thompson to quell the resurgence.

The visitors' second goal resulted from a well-timed defence-splitting pass by Harrison White to the advancing Ryan Hamm, whose shot nearly took out the home keeper and the net.

Hamm started the second half by intercepting a pass and driving towards the goal. However, his shot was half-cleared into the path of the advancing Harrison, who fired low and hard into the net from the edge of the box.

Tommy-Lee Higgs replaced Bennett and soon fashioned a chance after exchanging passes with Harry Bunce. However, his blocked attempt fell to the goal-hungry Hamm to pounce and double his tally.

Defender Brendan Willson scored the game's final goal when ecstatically hammering home from a corner for his first Bashley goal.

Bashley went into cruise control, but to their credit, the home side kept striving for a goal but found Thompson determinedly holding on to his clean sheet.

However, the best chance fell to Bashley when Callum Hockton and George Ashby came off the bench, and a cracking volley from the latter sailed just over the bar.