PORT SQUANDER 2-GOAL ADVANTAGE IN LOSS TO BOTTOM CLUB NEW MILTON

Newport lost their Wessex Division 1 game to the Linnets at Beatrice Avenue yesterday evening (Wednesday) despite racing to a 2-goal lead in the 1st 20 minutes. Bottom-of-the-table New Milton had been without a league win until last Tuesday when they beat Aldermaston 3-0. They have already conceded 90 goals in the season to date, including a 0-9 trouncing to Fleetlands in their opening game. The author of Newport’s defeat was British Virgin Islands international Tyler Forbes – playing only his 2nd game for the club – who is dual signed with National League South Weymouth. Forbes’ speed and skill proved too strong for the Port defence, and he either scored or set up all New Milton’s 4 goals. Port began the game brightly with Jordan Browne converting a Joe Butcher cross from inside the 6-yard box in the 8th minute (1-0). In the 22nd minute, Butcher set up Joe Craig to head the ball home (although the ball appeared to have bounced off Craig’s back: 2-0).

Forbes was a constant threat and in the 27th minute earned a penalty for the away side when brought down by Pitman. The Port keeper – who was lucky to have escaped with just a yellow card – retrieved the situation by parrying Forbes’ penalty attempt for a corner. In the 34th minute, Forbes finally got himself onto the scoresheet by taking the ball into the penalty area before blasting it past Pitman (2-1).

Half time: Newport IW 2-1 New Milton 10 minutes into the 2nd half, Forbes bagged his brace by scoring the equalising goal after being set up by Billy Cooper (2-2). In the 75th minute, the Linnets took the lead when Pitman parried the ball into the path of Brad Snelling, who buried the ball in the back of the net (2-3). 5 minutes later, Joe Craig put the Port back on level terms by battling his way through the penalty area to bag his brace (3-3).

However, the home side were to take nothing from the game when Connor Ford lobbed Pitman to score an injury time goal for the Linnets and return all 3 points to the other side of the Solent (3-4). Full time: Newport IW 3-4 New Milton Although most of the 105 crowd who had braved the wet weather to watch the game returned home disappointed with Port’s defeat, this open, exciting and entertaining game was a fantastic advert for football at this level. Newport IW: Pitman, Page (Myram), Tompsett, Oatley, McDonough (Walsh), Watterson, Butcher, Catania, Browne, Craig, Younie Subs (unused): Sayers, Dalaston Jones, Parsons Newport Man-of-the-match: Matt Oatley Newport remain 16th in Wessex Division 1 with 31 points from 23 games and games in hand on most of the teams around them in the table. This Saturday, Port host 3rd-from-bottom Andover Town at Beatrice Avenue.