‘Not bad for a team of patched-up doughnuts from Dover Road!’ – Moneyfields boss Turnbull hails stunning win at Wessex League leaders AFC Portchester

Moneys came from 0-2 down to secure a stunning 3-2 triumph at the On-Site Group Stadium to throw the Premier Division title race wide open.

Trailing to goals from Harrison Brook and Brett Pitman’s 49th of the season, the visitors stormed back through Ryan Pennery, Chad Cornwell and Callum Laycock.

The Royals had won their previous 15 Premier Division home fixtures this season.

Moneys’ victory allowed Horndean to cut Portchester’s lead to seven points, with the Deans still having two games in hand - and they have to go to Portchy next month.

Moneys went into the game minus club record scorer Steve Hutchings (calf injury) and Josh Hazell (suspended) and with several regulars carrying knocks.

The likes of Jack Lee, Chandler, Harry Birmingham, Callum Glen and Laycock were all strapped up and sent out to take on the table-topping Royals.

‘(Physio) Amy Weston was our person of the match,’ said Turnbull. ‘She must have gone through seven reels of strapping before the game.

‘People talk about players playing in the Wessex League for money, but none of my players went out there playing for £50 and a couple of beers.

‘They went out there playing for themselves, playing for me and playing for the club.

‘Jordan Pile was on the bench but his ankle is shot, but he put himself forward to play. Harry Birmingham played with soft tissue damage in his shoulder, I thought he’d broken his arm earlier in the week.

‘I was really, really pleased with the collective, even the lads that didn’t get on. I told (unused sub) Callum Jones I was sorry he didn’t play, but he said ‘not a problem, it’s not about me it’s about the team’. That epitomised what we were about yesterday.’

Lee was another to sum up the spirit in the Moneys camp. After being declared fit after picking up a hamstring injury in last Tuesday’s Russell Cotes Cup loss at Stoneham, he received a knee in the back in the first half.

Turnbull was seriously considering having to replace him with youngster Kai Davies.

‘Jack could barely run and Amy said ‘he’s going to have to come off’, but she went through another tube of Deep Heat at half-time and Jack soldiered on and soldiered on.’

This wasn’t Turnbull’s greatest managerial success - that remains US Portsmouth’s FA Vase fifth round win at Tavistock in April 2021.

It wasn’t even his best victory at Portchester - that also came with USP in a Vase tie in 2020/21.

He said: ‘This is up there (with his best managerial wins).

‘We’ve gone with a bits and pieces team and beaten what’s on paper the best team in the league.

‘Look at their back three - Curt Da Costa, Sam Pearce and Ryan Woodford. James Cowan in midfield has played professionally in Scotland, Brett Pitman up top speaks for itself.

‘We’ve gone there and won - not bad for a patched-up team of doughnuts from Dover Road really!

‘I felt if we could get at them, we’d have a chance. I said before the game we might not get a lot of possession so when we did we had to look after the ball, move it quickly. First half we didn’t do that.

‘We said at half-time ‘let’s try and do what we didn’t do in the first half. Then, blow me, we conceded straight after half-time.’

Pennery, signed from Portchester earlier in the season, started the comeback. And after Cornwell had levelled just after the hour mark, another ex-Royals striker - Laycock - produced a ‘class’ finish for the winner.

It was Laycock’s 27th league and cup goal of the season, and we will wait to see what impact it has on an ever increasingly fascinating title race.