'Leggy' AFC Portchester see recent unbeaten run ended by Bashley

AFC Portchester boss Dave Carter felt a gruelling run of five games in the space of just 16 days finally caught up with his men in their home Wessex League Premier defeat to fifth-placed Bashley.
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The Royals' impressive 11-match unbeaten stretch was ended as they slipped to a 2-1 home loss at the hands of the New Forest side.

Rafa Ramos' effort before the break had cancelled out Zak Sharp's earlier own-goal, only for Jamie Webber to strike in the final 10 minutes to win it for Bashley against 10-man Portchester.

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Carter revealed he had several players carrying 'knocks' in the defeat with his troops having played five games in the space of the past two weeks.

Defender Zak Sharp conceded a penalty, scored an own-goal and was sent-off in 10-man AFC Portchester's defeat to Bashley Picture: Alex ShuteDefender Zak Sharp conceded a penalty, scored an own-goal and was sent-off in 10-man AFC Portchester's defeat to Bashley Picture: Alex Shute
Defender Zak Sharp conceded a penalty, scored an own-goal and was sent-off in 10-man AFC Portchester's defeat to Bashley Picture: Alex Shute

‘I’m not making excuses, we had a few lads who had knocks yesterday and I think five games in two weeks took its toll on us,’ said the Royals boss.

‘There were a lot of decisions the referee was making - I’m not blaming him - we weren’t good enough.

‘A lot didn’t go our way, you’re going to get that in games, some games go your way and some games it doesn’t.

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‘There were probably players with knocks out there, not at 100 per cent, you need to be 100 per cent when you play teams at the top.

Rafa Ramos netted in AFC Portchester's defeat to Bashley Picture: Alex ShuteRafa Ramos netted in AFC Portchester's defeat to Bashley Picture: Alex Shute
Rafa Ramos netted in AFC Portchester's defeat to Bashley Picture: Alex Shute

‘Both goals we conceded were poor goals, both goals came from throw-ins down the left-hand side, we just didn’t defend properly.

‘We just looked leggy, really leggy, I think playing on Amesbury’s pitch on Tuesday night, it was very, very heavy, we just looked tired and leggy.

Porthester goalkeeper Steve Mowthorpe saved a penalty on 26 minutes before Sharp, who had given away the spot-kick, put through his own net just a minute later.

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But Ramos has made a mighty impressive beginning to life with the Royals and netted his fourth goal in five outings to level things up just past the half-hour mark.

Just when Portchester were on the way to making it 12 games undefeated, Jamie Webber netted on 82 minutes to wrap up the victory for visiting Bashley.

A day of huge frustration for defender Sharp was then compounded in stoppage-time as he received two yellow cards in quick succession to leave the Royals playing the final few minutes with 10-men.

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