AFC Portchester enjoyed a winning start to life in the FA Trophy with victory in their first ever game in the national cup competition.
Connor Duffin’s penalty on 15 minutes proved to be the only goal of the game, which suggests this was a tight encounter with few chances but both sides regularly created openings.
The Royals had the better of the first half action but they had to dig in and battle hard in the second half to keep their clean sheet intact and prevent Flackwell Heath from finding a way back into this tie.
The home side had the first chance of the game on four minutes when a ball in from the right found James Cowan 15 yards out. His shot was heading narrowly wide and Duffin had the opportunity to slide in and try and divert it inside the post but he just failed to get a strong enough touch on the ball.
Five minutes later the visitors got forward down the left hand side of the box and Charlie Williamson’s attempted back pass lacked the pace to reach his keeper Steven Mowthorpe. Jamie Ayres seized on the under-hit back pass but his shot was blocked by Mowthorpe’s foot.
A minute later Flackwell had a corner and the home side couldn’t fully clear their lines. An attempted clearance went straight at Connor Young and his shot from just inside the box went narrowly wide of the post.
The only goal of the game stemmed from a move which put Alfie Stanley through in the penalty area and as he tried to flick the ball past his marker the visiting player blocked the ball but the referee deemed he had used his arm to do so and pointed to the spot. Duffin sent keeper Jack Brooker diving the wrong way with his well struck penalty.
While that goal was a match-winning moment at one end, Jack Lee produced another one at the other end of the pitch on 17 minutes. Lewis Patrick got clear down the left and put the ball low across the six yard box and just as Young was about to pull the trigger and fire his shot home from close range, Lee slid in and took the ball off his foot and diverted it behind for a corner.
On 21 minutes Jack Shakespeare latched on to a ball played through the middle of the home defence and although he got into the penalty area he skied his shot under pressure from a defender.
On 28 minutes at the other end of the pitch a long ball down the right put Stanley clear but after he cut inside the box his powerful shot flew just over the crossbar.
Stanley had two more good chances to score late in the first half, with the first coming on 43 minutes. Williamson’s cross to the far post found Duffin and after his header was blocked, Marley Ridge set the ball back inside to Stanley. When he tried to place his shot into the net Brooker got his outstretched arm to the ball and managed to scoop it away from goal.
In stoppage time a ball over the top of the defence found Stanley but his shot from ten yards out lacked the power to trouble Brooker.
Both sides continued to create openings in the second half but it was the visitors who had more of them as the game wore on. On 63 minutes a ball down the left found Stanley and he was able to play it on to Lee Wort. He took the ball into the box but his shot was blocked by Brooker.
Flackwell went close to equalising twice on 69 minutes. The ball was slipped through to Ben Stallard inside the box and his first time shot had to be blocked at his near post by Mowthorpe. An in-swinging corner veered its way towards goal and had the home keeper scrambling but it hit the crossbar and bounced away to safety.
With nine minutes remaining the visitors had a corner partially cleared but when the ball was played back into the penalty area Matty Ayres beat Mowthorpe to it and flicked it past the keeper but the ball went straight out of play rather heading towards the net.
On 83 minutes Eli Grant got in down the right for Flackwell and delivered a dangerous cross which was met by an attacker and substitute Olly Searle at the same time but the home defender did enough to knock the ball away for a corner.
In injury time Flackwell almost gifted Portchester a second goal when they gave the ball away to Max Smith and his shot from 25 yards out was heading in before Brooker got down quickly enough to dive and push the ball away from goal.
