US Portsmouth boss Quirke hoping midweek Wessex League mauling at Hamble Club is just a ‘hiccup’

Fraser Quirke is hoping a 6-2 midweek caning at Hamble Club is just a 'blip'

USP were on the receiving end of a 6-2 Wessex League Premier Division pasting at Hamble Club on Tuesday - the first time this season they had conceded half a dozen goals in league action.

On the same evening, Brock were going down 5-0 at a Pagham side who climbed out of the two-team relegation zone.

Fraser Quirke’s USP have now shipped 29 goals in their last eight Wessex fixtures - only bottom two Poppies and Alresford have shipped more goals in the division - while Brock have only bagged a solitary point from their last six Premier outings, conceding 17 goals in that period.

‘We fell way below our standards,’ Quirke stated of the loss at Hamble, who netted through Clayd Roach (2), Matt Casey, Braydon Douglas, Leo Taylor and Nathan Gray.

‘It was tough to take. Did we deserve to lose 6-2? Maybe, maybe not.

‘I’m just hoping it’s a blip, a bit of a hiccup.

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‘But just as we’re seeing Brockenhurst as a bit of an opportunity (to pick up points), so they will be thinking exactly the same.’

It was a baptism of fire for Charlie Shepherd on his return to the USP goal at Hamble, due to Owen Craig’s unavailability.

The visitors fell 3-0 down in the first half before Elliott Holmes netted his second goal in as many starts.

Holmes was initially due to miss the game due to a services friendly against Pompey U18s, but its postponement freed both him and defender Shawn Benjamin to feature against the Monks.

A Danny Burroughs penalty – his ninth goal of the season, making him his team’s top scorer this term - brought USP back to 4-2 midway through the second half, but two late goals put the seal on a miserable night.

To add to the woe, striker Kelvin Mathe was stretchered off with a knee injury.

He could well be missing at Brock, while Holmes certainly is - he is going back to his native Hull for a family commitment.

Sam Emeney is available again but another central defender, Obi Saidy, has not yet made himself available after recently rejoining USP after a spell at Baffins.

Cameron Quirke is expected to return to the starting XI after missing the loss at Hamble.