Wessex High Flyers Draw A Blank - Winchester City vs. AFC Portchester

Clouds moving in at The City Ground

The weekend just gone, there were interesting games at either end of The Wessex Premier Division. At the top, second played fourth as Winchester City hosted AFC Portchester. At the bottom, second from bottom Fareham Town travelled to bottom placed Totton and Elling. After seeing a bottom of the table clash recently at Romsey, I went for the top of the table option. Winchester were only a point behind current leaders Petersfield but The Rams do have two games in hand over Winchester. Portchester were sat in fourth, eight points behind the teams chasing the title but they too had games on Winchester and Moneyfields in third. In the reverse fixture at The Wicor in December, Winchester had come out on two by two goals to nil.

Ready to jump in to action at The City Ground

As with some many games at the top of leagues previously, the game has a nervy, tense start. This is not helped by the pedantic referee who doesn't let the game flow. The first half chance comes when the Winchester forward is almost played in but the keeper is just first to the ball. The forward then almost gets in again and the defender has to remain strong to shrug him off the ball. Portchester now get a foot hold in the game as free kick is just about cleared after causing panic in the Winchester penalty area. They then hit the post with a powerful free kick which cannons off the post. Shortly afterwards the Winchester keeper makes a great save as he tips the ball over following a well hit dipping effort on goal. In the closing stages Portchester hit the post as the first half ends goalless.

Portchester attack in the first half

Portchester carry on where they left off and there is a half shout for a penalty as the keeper and forward together. The Winchester keeper then makes an incredible close range save from a header and his defenders then block the rebound. Winchester City's first chance of the half comes when the winger cuts in and forces a good low save with a shot from the edge of the area. The game is now really end to end and a Portchester pull back just eludes everyone. Both teams have very good chances to win the game. Firstly a close range header falls kindly for the keepers where he could have maybe done better. Then at the other end, the Portchester keeper misjudges a long ball but the forward fails to punish the mistake. In the very final moments, Winchester think they should have a penalty but the referee books the player for diving which turns out to be his second as the home side finish with ten men.

Seated accommodation at The City Ground

Winchester is a town with a lot of history and there is plenty to see before a game. There is the impressive Cathedral and lots of museums to look around. Trains to Winchester depart from Waterloo on a regular basis and the trip takes just under an hour. The ground is then a steady fifteen minute walk from the station. There are also a lot of good pubs. The first one I visited was The St James Tavern which had a lot of ales and had a very friendly canine presence. Then just over the hill is The Fulflood Arms which is more of a locals pubs but friendly and also had a couple of ales on. Finally, a short walk from the ground is The Mucky Duck which is perfect for any sport you want to watch before the main event. The clubhouse does the job and had Sky Sports on a big projector screen.   

The Winchester winger attacks the clubhouse end.