AFC Portchester’s away day woe continued with a 1-0 defeat at Hanworth Villa.
The script in this game followed a familiar plot to previous games – the Royals looked the better side for large parts of the match, didn’t take their chances when they came at key moments but the opposition took theirs when it came their way.
This was Portchester’s eighth league defeat of the campaign so far and a result which leaves them 15th in the South Central Division table.
It’s a position that doesn’t reflect how well they have performed at times in games played so far but those performances need to be converted into points, especially on the road.
The Royals created some good openings in the first half but just lacked that final finish at the crucial moments.
On eight minutes a ball played into the box from the right found Tommy Scutt but just as he was about to shoot a defender blocked the ball behind for a corner.
From the next corner after that one it looked like a visiting player was going to knock the ball home from close range but a defender did enough to get the ball away.
Two minutes later a long ball forward from the home side bounced through to Marco Correia on the right, who fizzed his shot from the edge of the box narrowly over the crossbar.
Good pressing from Scutt and Zack Willett on 18 minutes won back possession of the ball and set Lee Wort clear but after working some space to shoot he put his effort wide.
A minute later a cross from the right picked out Willett but he glanced his header narrowly wide and from the next attack, Marley Ridge won the ball on the left hand side of the penalty area and played into inside to Willett but he fired his shot straight at keeper Tyla Dickinson.
On 25 minutes a long throw in from the right for the home side was flicked on and it dropped to Josh Casey eight yards out. He stooped to head the ball towards goal but it drifted wide of the target.
The best chance of the half fell to the visitors on 39 minutes when Charlie Williamson and Alfie Stanley combined to set up the chance for Scutt to shoot but as he tried to lift it past the keeper Dickinson blocked the ball with his body.
Four minutes before the interval a quick break through midfield put Correia away again down the right and after he cut inside he unleashed a shot which keeper Cameron Scott had to tip over the bar.
The resulting corner was almost put into his own net by a Portchester defender who sliced his attempted clearance but fortunately the ball flew wide of the far post.
The chances kept coming for the visitors at the start of the second half. On 55 minutes Williamson’s cross from the right was only cleared as far as Jack Lee on the edge of the box but he blasted his shot over.
Two minutes later Willett crossed the ball from the left to Calvin Davies and after his shot was blocked Stanley put the re-bound narrowly past the wrong side of the post.
Hanworth grabbed what proved to be the winner on 58 minutes. Kensley Maloney stole possession of the ball in midfield and then rolled the perfect pass through to substitute Abdullah Selloum to run on to and his low shot beat Scott and went in at the near post.
The Royals had the chance to immediately hit straight back two minutes later when Williamson got in down the right hand side of the penalty area but he put his shot straight at Dickinson.
On 75 minutes the ball was played up to substitute Connor Duffin, who knocked the ball on into Willett’s path and his snap shot went straight to Dickinson.
In the closing minutes the visiting defence had to clear a corner off their own line and in stoppage time a free kick was played into the box at the other end but another shot was put straight at Dickinson.
