AFC Portchester aiming to extend winning Wessex League start against another early-season struggler

The Royals have so far faced four of the current bottom five in the Premier Division. And they complete the set with a visit to Alresford on Saturday.

Alresford lifted the curtain on their Wessex campaign with a victory at Shaftesbury, but have lost their last six league and cup fixtures.

Portchester have not played since Brett Pitman’s late header gave them a 3-2 win at Baffins in the league on September 6.

Curt Da Costa comes back into the reckoning at Alresford after missing the Baffins game through concussion protocols.

In addition, new signings Ryan Pennery and Harry Beckley could also be included.

Pennery started this season with step 4 club Chichester City, netting on his debut in an FA Cup win against Frimley Green.

But he has decided to return to Portchester, for whom he scored once in seven appearances last season when on loan from AFC Totton.

Beckley, who is serving in the Army and is Emsworth based, has joined from Bemerton.

Ashton Leigh, who has missed the last few games through a knee injury, is due to see a specialist tonight to assess his fitness.

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Carter said: ‘We’ve had a good start and we just need to continue it.’

The start is in contrast to last season, where Portchy won just four of their opening 14 Wessex fixtures.

It took them 10 games to bank 15 points in 2021/22, compared to just five this term.

Win at Alresford and Portchester will have more points in six games than they did in 14 last season.

Though Portchy have played four of the bottom five so far, all those games have resulted in narrow ones – 1-0 v Cowes, 2-1 v Blackfield 5-4 v Shaftesbury and 3-2 v Baffins. Paradoxically, their best win is against the highest-placed side, Brockenhurst (5-0), they have played so far!

Bemerton, who host Horndean this weekend, are currently top on goal difference after also winning their opening five Premier games.

Both the Royals and the Harlequins have much work to do, though, if they are to emulate Sholing’s storming start to 2018/19. Back then, the Boatmen won their first 15 Premier fixtures of the season.

Even that, though, is not an all-time Wessex top flight record - Poole Town enjoyed a remarkable 26-game winning spree on their way to the title in 2008/09.

Carter added: ‘We’ve got a big squad and we’ll need it, as we have a busy few weeks coming up.’

The Royals host AFC Totton in the Hampshire Senior Cup next Tuesday, and the following midweek visit New Milton in the Wessex League Cup.

The Tuesday after - October 4 - sees the rearranged home league fixture with Bemerton that was originally scheduled for last weekend. Will any of the current top two still be boasting an unblemished record by then?