Gr-eight islanders move up to second after Royals romp (From This is Hampshire)

Gr-eight islanders move up to second after Royals romp

8:18am Tuesday 4th December 2012 in Hampshire Sport By Dill Butcher

BLANDFORD UNITED 0 PORTLAND UNITED 8

SCOTT Henley was sent off late on but otherwise it was a near “faultless day” for the Blues as they moved up to second spot in the Magna Dorset Premier League following this demolition job at Blandford Rec.

Hot-shot Adam Linaker struck four times, Lewis Whyton netted a brace towards the end while Mitch Conning and Alex Halloran also found the target as the islanders breezed home.

Describing the pattern of the first half, Portland boss Chris Wilson said: “It was frenetic stuff early on as Blandford chased everything and were pressing us high up the pitch.

“Their work-rate made for a messy first half from our perspective but we got an early goal inside the first five minutes.

“Adam Linaker was put through by Mitch Conning who finished smartly, and that set the pattern really as seven out of our eight goals were one-on- ones.”

Later neat interplay on the edge of the box saw Smith slip in Linaker who slotted past the keeper for his second, and it was 3-0 to the Blues a minute ahead of the break when Conning headed home a corner at the back post.

Wilson added: “At the break we told the lads we needed to keep the ball better, move it sharper and pick our time better for the final ball.

“We had been getting caught when we had lost the ball up until then, but in the second half we looked after it a lot better and passed them out of the game really.”

And just three minutes in the Blues added a fourth goal when Linaker seized on a long, straight ball up the park and slipped a shot beyond the home stopper to complete his hat-trick.

Then, midway through the half, the in-form striker added his fourth in very similar circumstances after which he was withdrawn for Henley to leave the bench.

Henley took up his customary centre-back role while Whyton was the man pushed forward and with 10 minutes to go the Blues’ talisman added two more to the scoreline in quick succession to make it 7-0.

Late on, Halloran added further gloss as he cut in from the left and smashed home into the bottom left-hand corner to complete the rout.

Wilson added: “Scott’s red card was the only blip really in a faultless day but the linesman gave it for what he described as a stamping motion and he was only three feet away from the incident so we will have to accept that one.”

Blues: Weeks, Vincent, Harris (Dailey 65), Whyton, Carmichael, Doidge, Skelton, Conning, Smith, Halloran, Lineker (Henley 60).