PORTLAND United boss Gary Bailey professed himself “stunned” and “embarrassed” by his side’s second-half capitulation against Newport IoW on Saturday.
The Blues were 2-0 up and seemingly cruising at Grove Corner before Darren Powell, Josh Younie and sub Liam Triggs turned the game on its head for a 3-2 Newport win.
“It was a poor second-half performance and one I did not see coming,” admitted Bailey, whose side sit fourth in the Sydenhams Premier.
“I can only put it down to a mental state of mind. Thinking we had won the game, we switched off and they wanted it more than us in the second half."
Portland had gone ahead with a tenth-minute Alex Halloran penalty and doubled their advantage through Max Buckler.
To see that lead disappear after the break was a shock to Bailey, who added: “I just hope the players are as disappointed as I am. I will praise them to the hilt when they deserve it, but that second-half performance was embarrassing.”
For Newport, it was their second 3-2 away win in five days, having triumphed by the same scoreline at AFC Portchester last Tuesday.
Portchester’s response was a 0-0 draw at top-six outfit Bemerton Heath.
The closest Portch came to scoring was when sub Alex Baldacchino – back from an 18-month injury lay-off – hit the crossbar.
Bournemouth Poppies (Dave Ewen) drew 1-1 with Cowes Sports (Jason Ince), while Amesbury came good late on for a 2-1 home win over Hamworthy. Paul Coventry and Tyler Brockway struck in the 80th and 85th minutes after Matt Kemble had put the Hammers ahead.
Whitchurch squandered a 3-1 lead at home to Verwood, but hit back to win 4-3 in a fraught end-to-end finale.
Sub James Bergin, Dean Evans and Russell Dyer all scored for rock-bottom Verwood in the last half-hour, but it was Whitchurch who edged the basement scrap through Jack McCarthy (2), Danny Phillips and Scott Hassell.
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