Witham Friary was without several players due to various reasons and took a very depleted side for the tough away day. The following was missing : Morgan (Unavailable), Gray (Doubtful- Injured), Franklin-Smith (Unavailable due to tour) and finally new signing Thomas was cup-tied. This however didn't phase the holders and shows the real strength, along with depth that the club has at its disposal. Gray travelled with the squad however pulled up injured again in the warm up and not fully recovered from his bad back. This created another reshuffle and plan by the management team. Cowing came in at right back with Gadd sliding across into centre back alongside Standage.

The game started at a frantic pace although weather conditions with the blustery wind not doing anyone any favours. It was a very tight affair from both sides in the first 10 minutes. Witham creating a couple of half chances, Howse and Purdue both putting one over the bar. Portishead was looking to get their quick striker in behind off the useful playmaker in the middle of the pitch. Hanna and Howse set about their business in the midfield breaking play up effectively and allowing the forward players to do their stuff. Vukinovac and Stanowski started to combine and link up well, with Vukinovac causing the opposition defence all sorts of issues with his pace and power. Vukinovac forced a few corners from his deliveries out in the wide areas however his end product wasn't quite on the mark yet. Stanowski became the link striker for Witham as he looked for onwards runners from midfield from Closman, Vukinovac and Purdue. Standage was commanding and dominating the centre forward pouncing and stepping into intercept at any given opportunity. Midway through the first half Closman play a delightful curling cross into the path of Vukinovac. If Vukinovac had a little more conviction he would of made it before the on rushing goalkeeper to score. Witham did score from the resultant throw in following the goalkeeper kicking the ball out of play. Cowing threw the ball into Vukinovac who set the ball to Cowing, he then found Purdue just inside the 18 yard box. Purdue showed a moment of real composure and quality to thread the ball to Closman who slotted home at the back post. Witham could of increased their lead further when a inswinging free kick from Ponari caused mayhem in the penalty area only to be cleared by Portishead. Portishead had a couple of corner which was very well dealt with by Armstrong in the Witham goal commanding his area superbly. A Stanowski corner caused mayhem again in the Portishead area but this time Hanna put the ball wide, with more conviction on another day he could of been wheeling away celebrating. Ponari and Witham then survived a penalty shout when the bounce of the ball caught Ponari of guard. Luckily enough for us the referee was in a good position to see it clearly hit his chest (Veo also supported this). Witham did increase their lead when a delightful through pass from Closman saw Vukinovac in a foot race for the ball. Vukinovac rounded the goalkeeper after beating him to the ball and finished superbly with his left foot into the far corner of the goal.

Half Time
Portishead Town FC 0-2 Witham Friary FC

No matter what both sets of coaches said at half time, what happened next changed that for both sets. From Witham Friary kick off to start the second half Stanowski played the ball backwards to Standage. Standage played a delightful forward weighted pass to Vukinovac who slotted the ball past the goalkeeper into the far left corner. 3-0. This put Witham Friary into cruise control and in full control of the game. Armstrong came under pressure from the high ball as Portishead looked to deliver from wide areas. Armstrong dealt with this bravely with a good punch despite being closed down as the ball was travelling towards him. Portishead did have a great chance of their own when Standage tried to usher the ball out of play only to be robbed. The centre forward squared the ball only to hit a tame shot at Armstrong. Witham should of then increased their lead to 4-0. Vukinovac broke away on the right, he squared the ball to Stanowski who dummied the ball fell to Purdue who tamely shot wide of the target. With better decision making he had Closman outside him free and on his own in the box to score. Durbin came close from a corner but saw his effort blocked in the box. Portishead had a good opportunity to get themselves back into the match when a tame effort from the edge of the box was spilt by Armstrong. He then made a good double save to deny the centre forward. Gadd was then superbly on hand to clear away the danger inside the 6 yard box. Witham will rule some of their missed chances to make the scoreline reflect how many they actually had. This time Howse released Closman who outpaced the centre back, with only the gk to beat he fluffed his lines dragging the ball wide of the goal with his right foot. The next real big chance from Witham came following a good set in and interception from Standage, he found Stanowski who delightfully flicked the ball onto Closman with his head. Closman raced clear into the air and with a great decision unselfishly squared the ball to Vukinovac. Vukinovac should of completed his hat trick and rounded off a fine afternoon for himself. However, his shot only found the recovering diving goalkeeper when it was easier to score. However, none of that matter as the reds cruised into the semi final of the competition.

Man of the match was awarded by the management team to Gadd for his solid display at centre back.

Management had this to say on the performance,"It's a great result for the boys and fully deserved. Credit to our opposition they fought to the end and first half it was a tight affair. We knew before the game we would have to be at our best due to the strength of the AYL league. We will say we are answering those questions at the moment. The boys did terrific given the weather conditions and the unavailability which is hampering our side. Our only criticism of the side today, which we discussed with the players would be the chances we missed took the gloss of the performance they delivered. The semi final ties will be interesting having played two out of the other three (Brislington and Backwell Athletic) in our run to the final last season. The draw could throw up a local derby with Frome Town United progressing into the semi final following a bye, due to last years semi finalist Milton Nomads folding."

Somerset FA County Cup U14s Lewin Trophy Results
Quarter Final Stage
Wincanton Town FC 1-5 Brislington FC
Portishead Town FC 0-3 Witham Friary FC
Milton Nomads FC A-W Frome Town United FC (Tie awarded following Milton Nomads folding)
Imperial 1-2 Backwell Athletic