TEAM SOLENT will be shorn of skipper Curtis Thorn for Saturday's FA Vase third round trip to Bradford Town.

Thorn was sent off in the weekend's 1-1 Sydenhams Premier draw against Portland United which saw both sides end the game with ten men.

Solent took a 26th-minute lead when Jamal Wiseman played in Tyrell Mitford who calmly slotted the ball under Blues’ keeper Sean Lillington.

The Students could soon have doubled that advantage when Wiseman pounced on a mis-timed back pass, but he lashed his shot into the side netting.

Portland came strong midway through the second half with Ryan McKechnie hitting the bar, Aston Butcher having a header cleared off the line and dual-signed Eastleigh youngster Tom Bearwish forcing a smart save from Solent's debut-making goalkeeper Ben Morella.

Ross Doidge’s 76th-minute dismissal for a second yellow card – Portland’s third sending-off in four games – set up an eventful finale.

Thorn made it 10 v 10 four minutes later when he too was red-carded for a second bookable offence.

Without him, the Students succumbed to an 82nd-minute equaliser when sub Lewis Clarke crossed to the back stick for McKechnie to head home for the reigning Wessex champions.

"It was two pretty soft bookings for Curtis and their lad had much the same," said Team Solent boss James Taylor. "People get booked too easily these days for my liking and, unfortunately, it means Curtis misses the Vase game."

Solent went into action without two of their most potent attacking threats. Silvano Obeng has a hip problem and new strike sensation Hisham Kasimu - scorer of 12 goals in ten games - is unable to play while he awaits new contact lenses.

"Hisham lost his lenses in a collision playing football and the new ones haven't come through yet," said Taylor.

"We're hoping it will be sorted this week. Hisham's scored a lot of goals quickly for us and he's a real threat.

"Silvano's struggling with his hip and Julian Stahler has injured his ankle, so we've got a few out."

Team Solent - the Wessex League's last Vase survivors of 2016/17 - expect another tough test at Western Premier outfit Bradford Town on Saturday after disposing of highly-rated Tavistock 2-0 in the previous round.

"I'd image Bradford will be big and strong so it's up to us to play our game on Saturday," said Taylor.

"If we play how we did against Tavistock we should do okay.

"It took all we had to hold Tavistock - let's hope we can do it again!"

*Darren Watts's goal proved decisive in Hamworthy United's 1-0 win over Alresford Town.

The Hammers are now level on points with the fourth-placed Magpies with a game in hand.