Wessex League football: Watersiders sunk by USP

Wessex Premier

Blackfield & Langley FC 0

United Services Portsmouth FC 2

BLACKFIELD & Langley won the January Club of the Month award but fell well below their standards in losing to US Portsmouth.

The Watersiders were unbeaten last month, collecting 13 points and scoring as many goals, but visitors USP went home happy after goals from Danny Burroughs and Elliot Holmes.

The hosts had a brilliant chance after a minute when an early corner was half-cleared to Harry Edmondson, whose long-range effort flew over the bar.

Neither side had settled into the contest, but that did not stop USP from taking the lead through Burroughs after a slick piece of interplay found him in space.

The goal sparked the visitors into life, and they went close on multiple occasions while looking to counter-attack, but the half ended without further goals.

Four minutes after the restart, Holmes tucked the ball into the corner with a tidy finish to put his side in the driver's seat.

The Watersiders came close to scoring several times, with Sam Woodward forcing a superb finger-tip save before USP's Muhammed Jatta earned a place in the sin bin.

After the match, Blackfield & Langley's player-manager Craig Stanley said: "We had a bad day at the office today. We were nowhere near the levels we have set, but fair play to US Portsmouth. They thoroughly deserved the three points.

"Another massive game Tuesday, and time to put things right."

The Watersiders are away in their next two league matches, the first against Cowes Sports on Tuesday before Saturday's contest with Horndean.

Blackfield & Langley: G. Sansom, C. Ings, J. Merrett, H. Edmondson, S. Steel, Z. Pickett, C. Rattley, S. Shearer, C. McAllister, Williams, S. Woodward. Subs: R. Bakary, Connor, C. Stanley, J. Francis, O. Walsh.