'The boys showed their worth' - AFC Portchester complete strong season ending courtesy of final-day Portland triumph
AFC Portchester put four past Portland to pick up all three points as they brought the curtain down on the Wessex League Premier season with victory.
Rafa Ramos, Liam Robinson, Sam Pearce and George Barker were all on target as the Royals signed off the 2021-22 campaign with a 4-1 triumph over the Dorset side in front of their own supporters.
Despite what was a sluggish opening in Carter's first season at the Portchester helm, they picked up form as things progressed and eventually ended seventh in the standings. With a run of just four defeats in their final 27 games of the campaign ensured they finished just outside the top-six.
Carter said: ‘It was a great way to end it. We played fantastic and George Barker was unbelievable.
‘We put a really good performance in, everyone was on it, there was a nice big crowd there - the boys showed their worth.
‘The only thing I can be a bit negative about was the finishing, really, Rafa (Ramos) could have had a hat-trick in the first 10 minutes. But it was 4-1 and we dominated the game.’
Ramos got the scoring under way inside five minutes, netting what was his 13th goal in just 15 appearances for the Royals since arriving at the club from Blackfield & Langley over the Christmas period.
Winger Liam Robinson, signed at the start of the season but only featuring in the final stages of the season having undergone hip surgery, doubled the hosts' advantage just before the interval.
Portland had a lifeline when Troy Walbridge pulled a goal back soon after the restart but centre-half Pearce's header and Barker's effort in the final 10 minutes secured a 4-1 final-day success.