ABSENT manager Ollie Cherrett jokingly described Merley Cobham Sports’ impressive win over champions Portland United as “the longest 90 minutes of my life”.

Details of the engrossing Merley Park encounter were being relayed via text message to Cherrett as he tried to enjoy a family holiday on Lanzarote.

“I was pacing around the pool in temperatures of 35 degrees and it was hard work!” quipped Cherrett after Dave Weeden’s late strike had settled the issue in favour of the hosts.

Weeden pounced after his initial effort had been saved by goalkeeper Warren Boyt with Tommy McCormick’s sublime 30-yard pass catching the Blues backline flat-footed in the build-up.

Substitute Weeden’s 86th-minute clincher ended Portland’s 100 per cent winning start and took Merley Cobham into second place following a seventh successive victory.

Assistant boss Chris Hart, who took the reins in Cherrett’s ab-sence, told the Daily Echo: “I spoke to Ollie immediately after the game and put him on loud speaker in the changing room.

Like everybody else, he was delighted with the win. I think he’d had a torrid 90 minutes because people had been winding him up with a few texts. Someone told him there had been a goal but didn’t tell him which team had scored.

“He was anxious to find out the result and was made up when we told him we had won. I think his wife had had enough by the end of the game and told him to sit down and enjoy the rest of his holiday!”

Victory went some way to erasing the memory of Portland doing the double over Merley last season – with a 4-1 defeat at New Grove Corner on the final day denying them runners-up spot.

Hart added: “It was a big game and I felt it was a deserved win. They are a good side and have been together for a while. We have a bigger and stronger squad this season and would hope to be there or thereabouts.

“It was a great performance and I was proud of every one of the players. Our keeper ran 60 yards to celebrate the goal and that togetherness won us the game.

“They are a good, attacking side so to keep a clean sheet was excellent. I couldn’t see us conceding and it was a hard-fought victory.”

Merley midfielder Dave Wrixton required six stitches following a clash of heads which forced him off after 60 minutes, while ex-Cherries youngster James Rowe succumbed to injury at the same time.

Merley Cobham Sports: Perry, Rowe (Pritchard, 60), Mills, Cormack, Dand, Wilkins, Wrixton (Weedon, 60), McCormick, Steer, Atkinson, Cannie. Unused subs: Woolfenden, Park (g/k).