Horndean boss Birmingham praises defensive resolve after shutting out fellow free-scorers Fareham to move two points clear at the top of the Wessex League

A Connor Duffin double gave the Deans a 2-0 win at fellow free-scorers Fareham Town while Hamworthy were being held to a shock 1-1 draw at rock bottom Amesbury last night.

Duffin opened the scoring on 16 minutes - having earlier missed a one on one with Reds keeper Jon Webb - and lashed in a glorious 30-yard free-kick on 75 minutes, a low shot which arrowed into the bottom corner.

The brace allowed Duffin to leapfrog team-mate Zack Willett at the top of the Wessex Premier goal charts - he now has 32, one more than Willett.

Those two strikers have dominated headlines for Horndean this season, but it was the defence that impressed last night against a Fareham side who are the third highest scorers across the 16 step 5 leagues in England.

‘They have scored 85 goals and I thought we nullified their lively attackers well,’ said Birmingham, whose side are the second highest scorers with 92.

‘We restricted them to just one shot on target which Jocko (Cameron Scott) made a good save from in the first half.

‘The back four - Robbie Taw, Brandon Miller, Jack Lee and Chad Field - did ever so well.’

Birmingham is well aware of the old adage ‘goals wins matches but clean sheets win titles’. As a result, he was delighted with his side’s first shut-out for 11 league games.

‘If you keep a clean sheet you’re guaranteed a point,’ he said. ‘If you score two goals you’re not guaranteed anything.’

Horndean were celebrating a second away league win in four days after Willett’s treble had clinched a 3-1 success at AFC Stoneham.

‘It’s been a tough few days,’ reported the manager. ‘A game on a 4G pitch and a PO derby.

‘There’ll be some aches and pains today (Wednesday) and we’ll just have a recovery session tomorrow - the physios will be working overtime.’

Horndean ended the game with 10 men after Harry Jackson was dismissed for a second bookable foul in second half stoppage time.

The second caution was a needless challenge near the halfway line with the game already won, but Birmingham was more annoyed with the first yellow he was shown by referee Jacob Wright.

‘The second one was a yellow 100 per cent,’ he stated. ‘I can understand why he made the tackle, I can’t understand why he did it having already been booked.

‘I couldn’t believe Harry got booked for the first challenge. It was embarrassing, pathetic. I was going to send my physios on because I thought he (Wright) must have dislocated his shoulder getting the card out so quickly.

‘That was after the referee had spent so long in the game talking to Gary Austin he must have known his entire life story.’

Jackson will now serve a one-game ban, missing the home game with Baffins Milton Rovers on February 12. Before that, Horndean face a third away game in eight days at Blackfield & Langley on Saturday.

Fareham boss Pete Stiles described his side’s performance as a ‘bit flat’ and reckoned both teams cancelled each other out.

‘We didn’t really get going,’ he remarked. ‘Both teams seemed a bit wary of each other. We were looking at it defensively rather than having a go.

‘We were conscious of trying to stop them and took the focus off ourselves a bit.

‘They were the better side in the first 15/20 minutes but after that there was nothing in it.

‘The free-kick was something out of nothing and I thought 2-0 flattered them a bit, rather than a nicked 1-0.

‘We weren’t a million miles from them, that was the annoying thing.

‘They are top of the league, losing 2-0 was no disgrace - but I just felt we could have done a bit better.

‘It didn’t help losing Charlie Cooper in the first half with a hamstring injury. He’s someone we look to to give us a lift, give the crowd a lift.’

Stiles added: ‘People were probably expecting a lot. Being a Fareham fan, you expect to see eight goals every week!’