Thame United made the long trip to Dorset on Saturday to take on Portland United in the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy. Portland United, or the Blues as they are known, ply their trade in the Southern League South Division One. They advanced to this stage with a 3–1 win over fellow South Division One side Hungerford Town, while Thame overcame Westbury United away in the previous round.

Manager Ben Williams made four changes to the previous starting line-up. Josh Stranks returned to replace Aydin Ulas, Charlie Bacon replaced Ed Daffern, Greg Hackett came in for Roger James, and Hayden Beadle replaced the injured Curtis Brown, who did not travel with the squad. Thame had only four substitutes on the bench.

The Portland ground sits at the top of the Isle of Portland and was exposed to a gale blowing from one goal to the other, which was going to make the game difficult. Credit must go to the Portland ground staff, however, as the pitch was in very good condition.

Thame United got the game underway, kicking from left to right in the first half and into a fierce headwind. This was to have a massive impact on how the game played out. There was a set back for the blues on 15 minutes with a nasty looking injury for the number 3 who had to be substituted off. The home side were the dominant force during the first period, with the visitors forced to play in their own half for much of the half. The wind enabled the Blues to camp in the Thame half. However, although Portland were on top, Thame goalkeeper James Callan did not have a shot on target to save, with the home side’s seven efforts either off target or blocked by a resilient defence.

Centre-backs Dan West and Fin Murray proved to be a solid wall in front of the Thame goal. At the other end, Thame were restricted to a Harry Alexander shot, which was easily saved by the home side’s goalkeeper, while Greg Hackett failed to connect with a cross, allowing the ball to run through to the keeper. To a man, the Thame players dug in to combat both the opposition and the wind, managing to reach half-time with the scores level.

The Blues got the second half underway and, within a few minutes, it was clear that the visitors were better equipped to manage the conditions. As the home side tried to push forward, the wind made it relatively easy for Thame to counter-attack and play the ball in behind the Portland defence. As the half went on, this happened more and more, with the two wingers able to outpace the home side’s full-backs.
The pressure the visitors were putting on the home side paid off in the 57th minute. A long ball down the right wing allowed Harry Alexander to carry the ball to the edge of the area before playing it back to Greg Hackett, who was running in. Hackett struck a fine right-footed shot across the goalkeeper and into the left-hand side of the goal.

The same combination created another chance moments later, but Hackett could not get his shot away before the ball went out of play. The visitors made a double substitution in the 65th minute, with Roger James replacing Charlie Bacon and Aydin Ulas coming on for Callum Hall. Hall had picked up a yellow card earlier in the half for kicking the ball away after giving away a free-kick. Harry Alexander should have made it two in the 71st minute after intercepting a cross-field ball, which put him through on goal. However, his shot went wide of the right-hand post. The home side responded with two chances, one from the full-back and one from the midfielder, but both efforts went over the bar. Following the second attempt, goalkeeper James Callan’s long goal kick found Roger James, who picked up the ball and ran into the box but could not get his shot away.

The visitors then had another double chance. Harry Alexander picked up the ball in a central position and carried it to the 18-yard line, but his shot was blocked. The rebound fell to Hayden Beadle, whose shot went over the bar.
Captain Mark Riddick was steadfast in the holding-midfield role, winning most of the headers that came his way and proving to be a difficult obstacle for the home side to get past. The second goal arrived in the 79th minute, and it was no more than Thame deserved. A long ball down the right flank found Harry Alexander up against the right-back, who allowed the ball to bounce. Alexander was first to it as it fell and lobbed the goalkeeper from 30 yards, sending the ball into the left-hand side of the net. It was a really good finish.

Roger James then had the ball in the back of the net. He thought he had timed his run to beat the offside trap before running through on goal and slotting the ball into the net, only for the flag to go up. It was a very marginal decision.
The visitors had more chances as the home side struggled to cope with the wind and the pace of the Thame attack. Jack Tutton was in on goal after picking up a through ball, and Thame had a two-on-one situation with only the goalkeeper to beat. However, Tutton’s shot went wide, with Jamie Davies unmarked in the penalty area. Aydin Ulas then found himself in the box on the right-hand side. His shot from level with the six-yard box was saved by the goalkeeper, who pushed the ball out for a corner.
Thame comfortably saw out the remaining minutes of the game to progress to the third qualifying round, which they thoroughly deserved after a convincing second-half performance secured victory.

Attendance 161

Goals
Greg Hacket (57 minutes)
Harry Alexander (79 minutes)

Team
1. James Callan
2. Callum Hall (Aydin Ulas 65 minutes)
3. Josh Stranks
4. Finn Murray
18.Charlie Bacon (Roger James 65 minutes)
6. Mark Riddick (C)
7. Greg Hackett (Jamie Davies 80 minutes)
8.Jack Tutton
9.Hayden Beadle (Ed Daffern 80 minutes)
10.Dan West
11.Harry Alexander

Substitutes
12.Jamie Davies
14.Aydin Ulas
15.Ed Daffern
16.Roger James