‘Brilliant’ night for AFC Portchester as unlikely match-winner Jake Raine takes them to the top of the Wessex League

Jake Raine struck a stoppage time winner to give the Royals a 2-1 victory over previous Premier Division table-toppers Bemerton Heath Harlequins.

A crowd of 552 turned up to watch the eagerly-anticipated fixture between the two teams who had both won their opening seven league fixtures, with the visitors taking top spot on goal difference.

And they were treated to a thrilling match which saw both sides finish with 10 men.

Marley Ridge, recalled to the starting line-up, fired the hosts into a 13th minute lead, an advantage Portchester held until the hour mark when George Higgins levelled.

Five minutes later Royals defender Ashton Leigh picked up the evening’s first red, dismissed for violent conduct after retaliating to a challenge. His suspension will now start with next Wednesday’s Wessex League Cup tie against his former club Baffins Milton Rovers.

Carter responded to Leigh’s departure by dropping midfielder Ryan Wilkins back into a defensive role, with striker Harrison Brook moving into the hole.

Bemerton were then reduced to 10 men with three minutes of normal time on the clock, defender Steve Walker dismissed for two bookable offences.

With time running out, and both sides’ 100 per cent records looking like ending, the unlikely figure of Raine provided a dramatic ending.

The midfielder entered the fixture having only netted twice for the club in 58 competitive appearances stretching back to the start of last season.

But he gleefully lashed in the rebound after Bemerton keeper Patrick Creese had beaten out a Brook effort before being mobbed by jubilant colleagues.

It was Bemerton’s first league defeat for 22 games, a run stretching back to January.

‘It was a fantastic game, both teams going at it,’ said Carter. ‘It was a fantastic evening - the result was brilliant for the lads, and brilliant for the club.

‘We were the better side in the first half, we were a little bit disappointed we weren’t further in front.

‘Now we’re top, that’s where we want to be - we don’t want to be involved in any chasing. We just have to keep going.

‘We’ve been a fantastic squad together and there’s a good buzz around the club at the moment.’

Bemerton boss Shaun Hale - a former Portchester U23s manager - said Raine’s late, late decider was ‘devastating’.

He summed up: ‘When that happens to you it’s great, but when it happens against you it’s difficult to take.

‘It was a great game to be fair, two good teams in front of a good crowd - it didn’t feel like a Wessex League game, it felt more like a Southern League game.

‘It’s difficult when you’ve got your manager’s head on, but I would imagine everyone who turned up went away thinking they’d got value for money.

‘We were fortunate to be only 1-0 down at half-time. I was disappointed with the way we started, but that was probably down to Portchester being a good side with no real weak areas.

‘We were never going to go there and try to park a bus, that’s not how we play.’

Hale believed a turning point in the game was his side’s failure to press on after Leigh was red-carded.

‘We thought then we’re not going to have a better chance to beat Portchester than this but we couldn’t capitalise, we couldn’t get a foothold in the game. That was a key moment for me.

‘Having 10 men didn’t seem to affect them.’

Regarding Walker’s dismissal, Hale said: ‘No complaints, I thought the ref handled the game well.

‘Steve had been playing on the edge and with hindsight perhaps I should have taken him off earlier.’

Hale believes Bemerton’s storming start after winning the Wessex 1 title last season has taken him by surprise.

‘It’s not a huge shock because winning games is a habit and I knew we had quality, but I didn’t expect to be top after seven games.

‘People are now looking at us and thinking we are genuine contenders for the top end. Pre-season, nobody talked about us being top six or even top 10.

‘Now we’ve gone to Portchester and pushed them hard, people will be looking at us as a good side.

‘But there’s no easy games in this league. If you take your foot off the pedal by even one per cent you will come unstuck.’

Portchester, meanwhile, are now one of just four clubs across the 14 step 5 leagues in England still boasting a 100 per record record - Reading City, Erith & Belvedere and Badshot Lea are the others.

The Royals have now lost only three of their last 30 league matches, a run stretching back to last November.