The Season So Far:

The final game of the season for both of these teams – no chance of the play-offs for either, however Oldland should be pleased with their season, after struggling somewhat in recent campaigns. Win today and they will finish 10th – by leap-frogging Bishop Sutton – and avoid a negative goal difference. Another highlight was the Abbots’ FA Vase run which saw them beat Combined Counties side Eversley & California on their own patch. The reward was a home tie against Helston Athletic from the league above. The match finished 2-2 and the lower league team beat the odds to win on penalties. Another Western Premier Division side awaited in the next round – Street FC. Again Oldland held their own over 90 minutes – 1-1 the score in Somerset. Their luck ran out, however, at the Cobblers won 5-4 in the shootout. It was a high-scoring affair when Oldland met Portishead in the reverse fixture back in October. Portishead were on the right end of a 4-3 result that day.

If my maths are correct, the highest Portishead can finish is 13th this season. They would obviously need to win today in order for that to happen, and as mentioned previously they did beat Oldland earlier this season. That was on home turf, though so who knows what might happen. They are on a pretty decent run of games including draws with 3rd place Wincanton Town, and 4th place Welton Rovers. I saw Portishead play out a 2-1 loss at Radstock Town last month. An impressive couple of home games in March saw Posset beat struggling Bishops Lydeard and then play-off-seeking AEK Boco. There was no such joy in the FA Vase though – falling at the first hurdle at home to Royal Wootton Bassett Town.

So, hopefully today won’t be a damp squib with neither side having anything to play for other than the pride of winning on the day. I for one am hoping for the seven goals that these sides provided in October.

The Visit:

There are a good number of Western League clubs to be found in this south east corner of Bristol. Oldland Abbotonians remained my last to tick off and it was long overdue for sure. Aitchison Playing Field is found on the very, very edge of suburbia, with nothing but fields and hamlets to the east for miles and miles. Within short walking distance of a chip shop and a couple of newsagents, it was hard to find fault with the location of this ground! I received a friendly greeting on arrival and found ground improvements to already be underway and so I can’t help but feel this wasn’t the ultimate Oldland experience! (Any excuse for a return visit!) On the nearside lie the changing rooms and clubhouse, and behind the opposite goal stood a digger – another indication of the planned works. On one sideline, what used to be the main stand was out of bounds and was being used as temporary dugouts by the teams. Opposite here was the only stand in use today – a small covered terrace flanked by a number of shipping containers… surely a temporary fixture.

Kicking off in spring sunshine it was the youthful visiting attackers who tested Josh Dempsey in the home goal, but the shot was too near to the keeper. The visitors did take the lead on the quarter-hour mark as Finlay Mace found the top corner with a sliced volley. Whether that was his intention or not was immaterial and Posset were good value for their lead. Parity was restored just before the half hour – Cash Vinall out-muscling the Portishead defender and steering the shot past George Shanks-Boon. 5 minutes later the hosts nearly went ahead – the ball was allowed to bounce far too far and reached an Oldland player whose effort was cleared off the line at the far post. Portishead almost restored their lead a few minutes later but a last minute tackle denied them this.

An entertaining second half ensued, despite few clear cut chances until later on. With 15 minutes left on the clock, Dave Paterson toe-poked over from 8 yards after the ball dropped to him from a corner kick. Vinall burst through on goal a couple of minutes later only to be illegally halted by Shanks-Boon in the penalty area. He dusted himself off but dragged the spot kick wide of the mark! Another mini-melee in the 18 yard box led to another close-range miss from the hosts, and they must’ve been wondering if their luck had deserted them. A rare chance at the other end saw Dempsey victorious in a one-on-one face off with a visiting forward. It was looking like the game would finish 1-1, but 5 minutes into time added-on the ball fell for Mitchell Dann who smashed the ball home from inside the area. It was a sucker punch for the away side, but The O’s would argue that they’d done enough late on to deserve the 3 points.