AFC Portchester v Horndean – it’s the Wessex League game of the season between title challenging pair

And whoever wins this weekend’s mouthwatering clash of the titans will have the upper hand in their bid to win the Wessex League title.

Between them, AFC Portchester and Horndean have won 55 of the 66 Premier games they have played in 2022/23.

Just six have been drawn - including a 2-2 draw when they met in November - and only five have been lost.

Between them, the Royals and the Deans have belted 216 league goals and conceded just 60.

Table-topping Portchester welcome Horndean to the On-Site Group Stadium on Saturday having only dropped 14 points in 35 games.

With that sort of record, they could expect to have been putting the celebratory champagne on ice.

But no. Third-placed Horndean have only dropped 13 points in their 31 games so far, and so you don’t need to be a maths expert to work the title race out.

Both sides hold the destiny of the title in their own hands.

If Portchester win their last three games - at home to Horndean and away to Hamble and Bemerton - they will win the title and automatic promotion to the Southern League.

But if Horndean can avoid defeat this weekend, and then win all their remaining matches, Michael Birmingham’s men will finish top.

All easier said than done, of course.

Even if Portchy beat the Deans, trips to sixth-placed Hamble and fourth-placed Bemerton are anything but easy.

As for Horndean, they also have to face Hamble and Bemerton - albeit both games are at their own Five Heads Park - and travel to Baffins Milton Rovers on a Thursday in their penultimate game of the Premier campaign.

Whoever finishes second in the table will have to negotiate an away game against a step 4 side, with the winner booking their Southern League spot for 2022/23 alongside the Wessex champions.

Second-placed Stoneham and Bemerton also harbour promotion hopes, though in reality the best both could manage is runners-up spot and then aim to win their play-off fixture.

The stats belonging to Portchester and Horndean are mightily impressive.

Across the other 14 step 5 leagues in English football, only one club - Ascot United - boast a better points-per-game ratio than the Royals.

Dave Carter’s men have averaged 2.6 so far, while Ascot - also FA Vase finalists - are averaging 2.61 in the Combined Counties League North.

Horndean have the joint third-best PPG with 2.58, the same as Hellenic League leaders Cribbs.

Portchester also boast the second highest goals tally at step 5 - only Southern Combination Leaguers Newhaven (112) beating their current 111 tally.

Horndean (105) are the third highest and North West Counties Leaguers Wythenshawe Town (103) the fourth highest - though the latter have played eight more games than the Deans!

Malvern (102) are the only other step 5 club to have broken through the 100-goal league barrier so far.

Horndean have the third best defensive record at step 5 level, having only conceded 18 goals in 31 games - and none at all in their last six fixtures.

Cribbs - managed by former Alresford boss Rich Luffman - have only let in 15 goals in their 34 Hellenic fixtures, a superb achievement.

Up in the United Counties League North division, Anstey Nomads have only conceded 16 times in 31 games.

Horndean, though, are out in front when it comes to the best goal difference at step 5 level. Tuesday’s 3-0 home win over Christchurch boosted their GD to plus 87 - 10 better than the second best, Newhaven.

Combined Counties Leaguers Badshot Lea have a plus 71 GD, with both Portchester and Coventry Sphinx (UCL South) joint fourth with plus 69.

Horndean enter this weekend’s game in better form, having rattled off six straight wins, scoring 24 goals and conceding none.

Portchester have dropped seven points in their last seven games, losing at home to Moneyfields - after being 2-0 up - and drawing with Fareham and Baffins in other PO postcode derbies.

Royals striker Brett Pitman remains one goal away from reaching a seasonal half-century, the former Pompey ace having failed to score in his last five games.

He remains the highest Premier marksman with 43 goals, but Horndean’s Zack Willett is now just four behind him after notching against Christchurch on Tuesday.