Dorchester Town reached the Dorset Senior Cup final after a tense 1–1 draw with Portland United, eventually prevailing 5–4 on penalties in yesterday night’s semi-final.
Despite booking their place in the final, Dorchester manager Tom Killick admitted afterwards that he was far from satisfied with the overall performance, explaining in detail why the display fell short of his expectations.
He said: “I wasn’t overjoyed with our performance. I picked a side that I thought would be strong enough to win the game, and although we’ve ended up winning it, it wasn’t quite in the manner I’d hoped, but I suppose the be all and end all is to get through, and that’s what’s happened.”
Dorchester struggled to impose themselves consistently on the match, and Killick was frank in his assessment of the team’s display over the 90 minutes.
“I didn’t think we did very well,” he added. “The only bright spots really were the young lads. I thought they showed up really well, but other than that, in terms of the senior players, it just wasn’t what I was looking for.”
The home side did find the net with a well-worked goal, but the manager felt it was not enough given the quality available within his squad.
“It was a really good goal, but it wasn’t enough bearing in mind the quality we had on the pitch. I just felt like we should have been producing more, so there is disappointment there.”
Despite that frustration, progression to the final and the experience gained by younger players provided some positives to take from the night.
“The young lads have got on, and we’ve got through, so we just have to move on,” he continued, underlining the importance of learning from the performance.
Portland United were praised for their role in making the tie such a difficult contest, with the Dorchester Town manager keen to acknowledge their contribution.
“Portland made it very difficult for us in terms of their organisation, their energy, and their physicality, so they deserve a lot of credit.”
The match remained finely balanced until penalties were required, with Dorchester eventually holding their nerve in the shootout to secure a 5-4 victory and confirming their place in the final.
One of the standout positives for the manager came at the final whistle, when he reflected on the number of young players trusted in a high-pressure situation.
“We had five young players on the pitch at the end,” he said, “and to me that’s the biggest positive out of it all, as well as getting through.”
Dorchester will now face Weymouth in the Dorset Senior Cup final, setting up another meeting between the Southern League Premier South rivals.
The sides last met on December 27, 2025, when Weymouth ran out 2-1 winners, a result that underlines the challenge Dorchester face in the final.
In league terms, Dorchester currently sit 21st, three points from safety in the Southern League Premier South, while Weymouth are positioned 16th.
With league survival still a key focus, Dorchester will hope the resilience shown in the semi-final and the continued development of their young players can provide momentum as the season reaches a critical stage.
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