Hartpury FC secured passage into the next round of the FA Trophy defeating Portishead Town 4-1 at 4ED Hartpury Stadium on Saturday.
After an early Jay Murray goal for the Posset, goals from Vanylson Silva, Leon Machisa, Billy Osborn and Noah Coates saw the Acorns through to the Third Qualifying Round.
It was the visitors who took the lead when Murray beat the defensive line before rounding Ryan Smallwood and rolling home from a tight angle on five minutes. The Posset almost made it two on ten minutes when Jack Thorne was free on goal but was denied by a superb low save by Smallwood. Smallwood was again in action on 20 minutes when he did well to hold onto a driven Murray header. Those missed chances from the visitors were punished by the Acorns on 23 minutes when Silva picked out the top left corner with a stooping header. The Acorns almost turned the score around on 32 minutes but Renato Prifti’s effort from 18-yards skipped agonisingly wide of the post. Prifti was in front of goal again just before half time
HALF TIME – HARTPURY FC 1-1 PORTISHEAD TOWN
The Acorns made a blistering start to the second period netting twice inside the opening ten minutes. Machisa got on the end of a Jesse Aldridge corner to stretch the ball over the line on 50 minutes. Osborn found our third four minutes later when Silva flicked a long ball through to the striker who drilled into the bottom corner from 18-yards. The Acorns made it 4-1 on 65 minutes when Nathan Jenkins saw his effort parried into the path of Coates who headed home his second of the season. Tomos Shyamapant was denied on 80 minutes with an outstretched boot of the Posset goalkeeper before Coates glanced a header wide moments later. It was a fourth straight win for the Acorns but attention quickly turns to Tuesday night when we travel to Falmouth Town.
FULL TIME – HARTPURY FC 4-1 PORTISHEAD TOWN
STARTING XI- Smallwood (GK), Kent, McGregor, Machisa (Kelly 71’), Robinson, Aldridge, Jenkins, Prifti (Coates 57’), Silva (Bonnick 57’), Osborn © (Shyamapant 68’), Manning
UNUSED SUBS- Kovacevic (GK)
