By Ben Ware

Saturday sees one of the biggest games of the season as the Mitres travel to Portishead Town with second meeting first in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South.

Paul Collicutt’s side go into tomorrow’s game on the back of two 3-1 wins, with Bristol Manor Farm and Melksham Town falling to defeat at the Everyone’s Energy Kayte Lane Stadium on Saturday and Tuesday, respectively. Portishead will bring a much different challenge, however, with Melksham and Manor Farm both occupying the final two relegation places.

Posset sit top on the back of a blistering run of form, with 13 goals scored in their last five, bringing four wins and one draw. Only third-placed Frome Town were able to keep them at bay. This leaves them top with 31 points, one ahead of the Mitres, but with an extra game played.

It is the host's first season in the Southern League, and they’re emulating their previous two campaigns in style. 2023/24 saw Possett storm to the Western League Division One title (tier 10) with 99 points from 42 games, earning passage to the Western League Premier Division, equivalent to the Hellenic Premier Division, where they would blitz the league once more with 92 points from 38 games. This was a far more dominant season for the Bristol side as they totted up 2.39 points per game compared to 2.35.

In comparison to our 2022 Hellenic title win, they’re only just worse off. The Mitres averaged 2.42 points per game en route to promotion, though Portishead have settled far quicker at this level.

23-year-old forward Ethan Feltham will be their main attacking threat with seven goals in eight league games, but we’ll have to be wary across the pitch with defender/midfielder Kyle Egan boasting of an impressive six goals in nine games. In contrast, Cleeve’s top scorer in the league is midfielder Toby Holland with five from seven, while striker Ross Langworthy has four from nine, but 16 in all competitions (statistics from the Southern League website).

While they’re no stranger to scoring goals, they’re also familiar with conceding a few, as are the Mitres. Big wins over Melksham Town, Bideford, Sporting Club Inkberrow and Didcot (4-0, 4-1, 5-1 and 6-0) are accompanied by heavy defeats to Winchester City and Hellenic side Slimbridge, with a 4-3 win over Combined Counties side Winsor seeing goals fly in at both ends.

Cleeve’s biggest win came against Didcot, where we won 7-3, with three or more goals scored on six occasions. The evidence suggests that we’re in for an incredible game with two exceptional attacking sides meeting for the first time. It’s not one to be missed, and the short journey should hopefully bring a strong following.

The important information

Admission:
Entry for adults is £10 with concessions £5, and under-16s free. Bristol City season ticket holders receive 50% off, while entry for veterans and those in the armed forces is free. A printed programme is available for £2.

Kick off:
15:00

Address:
Bristol Road
Portishead
Bristol
BS20 6QG