BUCS South Eastern Conference Men’s 4A
Wednesday 11th November 2009

A convincing away win against Roehampton University Mens 1st team for the UPFC Mens 2nd team helped to put them back at the top of the league. This game demanded a performance to send a message to the rest of the league that the 2nd teams defeat to the UPFC 3rd team was a mere blip in what can only be described as a dominant start to the season so far.

With the rain pouring down in the hours prior to kick-off the pitch was in poor condition, however Bruce Suraci rallied his team and sent them out fired up and eager to play. Early on Chris Morris in centre midfield showed great skill passing the ball well and winning free kicks. Portsmouth looked dangerous from set pieces with Tom Rowe winning all sorts of headers from free kicks and throw ins. Portsmouth were able to prevent any real threat getting to Andrew Stass in goal with a superb last-ditch, sliding tackle by left back James Regan to keep the score at 0-0.

Jamie Brown on corner duty from the left hand side whipped in a corner met by Chris Musgrove who leapt like a salmon to bullet home a header for the inaugural goal. Centre back Dave Houlders demonstrated great awareness and played to the passing checklist to find striker Matt Whiteford, who played a through ball into the path of Dan Aiden; striker Lee Fisher found himself space in the box for when the cut back came to him. 2-0 Portsmouth. It wasn’t long until the third goal went in with a one-two played between Scott Gibson and Matt Whiteford just outside the box that Whiteford bent around the oncoming keeper. Lee Fisher claimed his second goal of the game after a shot hit the post and fell kindly to his feet for a simple finish to take a 4-0 lead into the half-time break.

The second half saw an unchanged Portsmouth team take to the field and a Roehampton side that had been issued some more than stern words by their coach who was happy for all to hear his opinions. An awesome leap by left back James Regan saw him out jump a player nearly twice his size to win a header, twice, and the UPFC midfielders continued to boss the park and create chances showing that Portsmouth were not content with a 4-0 victory. Jamie Brown managed to cleverly round the keeper and composed himself to neatly tuck in his first of the game after some first-class attacking play for the 5th goal. Lee Fisher was also denied his hat-trick when the ball had bounced off the referee straight to his feet. Jamie Brown was gifted the chance to double his goal tally with a chance from 6 yards, straight from a perfect cross in the corridor of uncertainty from Dan Aiden, however Brown somehow sent it wide of the target. The Roehampton goalkeeper had picked up an injury during the 5th goal was replaced.

Centre back Dave Houlders drove forward with a penetrating dribble into the box with defenders falling at his feet still managed to look up and cut it back, only for the D.O.D. Matt Whiteford to send it over the bar from ten yards.

The introduction of Matt Humphreys and Jamie Eyre refreshed the midfield that had been working diligently on the less than perfect pitch to create as many chances as they had and Dan Wetton came on at right back offering support on the wing. Roehampton countered after Chris Musgrove played a brilliant through ball, only to the wrong teams’ striker, which was again well recovered by James Regan. A second goal was disallowed for another deflection off of the referee, this time to deny Matt Whiteford his chance to redeem his earlier miss. Matt Humphreys soon got on the score sheet with a deft touch inside the six yard box off a low drilled cross from the byline after some more impressive interplay by the Portsmouth side.

The dying seconds of the game saw Chris Musgrove dispatch a second headed goal, again from a corner this time delivered by Chris Morris, that wrapped up an impressive 7-0 score line and took the 3 points for the Portsmouth 2nd Team.