‘Godsend’ Brett Pitman takes seasonal AFC Portchester goal tally to 20 with Wessex League double at Horndean

The Royals’ unblemished start to the Premier Division campaign was halted on Tuesday with a 2-2 draw at Horndean.

Pitman took his seasonal tally to 20 in all competitions with another brace, including an 81st minute leveller at Five Heads Park.

The former Pompey star had earlier cancelled out Harry Jackson’s opener, his 43rd minute free-kick hitting a post and rebounding in off keeper Cameron Scott.

Pitman, 34, has started all 11 of Portchester’s Wessex games since his high-profile arrival in the ninth tier of English football.

He has now scored in 10 of those games, including braces in his last two outings against US Portsmouth and now Horndean. In between, he also netted twice in an FA Vase loss to Phoenix Sports. His 20 goals have come in 15 starts, plus off on the bench.

Entering the fixture, the Deans had only conceded three goals in their nine Wessex games in 2022/23.

‘He just comes alive in the box, that’s all I can say,’ remarked Royals boss Dave Carter regarding Pitman.

‘He’s a winner, he shouts and screams because he wants to win.

‘When I signed him, I didn’t know what he had in his locker but he’s been a Godsend for us.

‘I’d just lost Lee Wort and Rafa Ramos, they’d scored about 70 goals last season. People are saying ‘how are you going to replace them?’’

Following his Five Heads Park double, Pitman now has 14 league goals in 2022/23 - 38 per cent of the Royals’ tally.

Elsewhere, eight other players have scored in the Wessex for Portchester this term, Harrison Brook netting five times and George Barker four.

‘Harrison and Brett complement each other,’ said Carter. ‘Brett’s never really been a runner when he was at Pompey or Bristol (City), even more so now, but Harrison’s got a willingness to run, he does a lot of Brett’s work there.’

Carter tried a new formation at Horndean, handing a first start to ex-Hawks and Chichester striker Scott Jones alongside Pitman with Brook in behind. ‘It didn’t work,’ declared the manager.

Recalling Tuesday, Carter added: ‘We were poor first half going down the hill, probably the worst half we’ve played all season. They kept the ball well without really threatening us.

‘I said at half-time ‘we’ve been lucky here, now let’s go out and play some football’.

Tommy Scutt restored Horndean’s lead, though, with Pitman ‘coming alive’ in the 18-yard box to convert a Brook cross nine minutes from time.

Brook then saw an injury-time goal ruled out for offside, after a Jake Raine shot had fallen to him.

‘He was two yards onside,’ rued Carter. ‘Jake’s shot hit a defender on the arm - we could have had a penalty as well - so it couldn’t have been offside.

‘We felt a bit hard done by but a draw was a fair result. It could have gone our way, it could have gone their way - Steve Mowthorpe made a good save to stop them making it 3-1.

‘They are a good side and I’d probably have taken a point before the start. I told the players we’ve gained a point and taken two off them.’

Portchester are home to Hamble this weekend. Midfielder Ryan Wilkins is likely to be out with the toe injury that forced him off at Horndean, while Ashton Leigh faces 8-12 weeks out with a dislocated kneecap.

Carter will be looking for a better defensive performance against Hamble, with his side having not kept a clean sheet in any of their last seven league and cup outings.

‘We’ve got goals in us from all over the pitch,’ he remarked. ‘When you score two goals at home (as Portchester did in the FA Vase loss to Phoenix last weekend) you should be winning the game.’