‘Over the moon’ at Moon Park – Horndean boss Birmingham delighted with top-of-the-table Wessex League draw with Bemerton

A 88th minute leveller from Zack Willett gave the Deans a 1-1 draw in Salisbury.

The former Paulsgrove striker’s 13th goal of the campaign cancelled out a Reece Rusher penalty awarded for a Tom Jeffes foul.

The result allowed AFC Portchester - 8-1 winners over Alresford - to open up an eight-point lead at the top over Bemerton, who have a game in hand.

Horndean, who have two games in hand on the Royals, are 11 points adrift in third place.

‘It wasn’t a great game,’ reported Birmingham. ‘It was a game between two teams who had the utmost respect for each other.

‘I’m over the moon to go there, to the team who had the best goalscoring record in the division, and limit them to just a penalty in 90 minutes.

‘Neither side ever took a strangehold of the game. We knew their threats and we nullified them, their only chance was the penalty - and it was a stonewall penalty.’

Willett was on hand to score from close range, converting a cross from left-back Fuzz Kanjanda.

The move had started with Sam Hookey releasing the overlapping Ben Anderson, who had been switched to right-back 20 minutes from time.

Ash Howes, making his first competitive start since March, had been operating at right-back in the absence of the unavailable Rob Taw.

Horndean remain the only side to have taken points off Portchester this season, while they are one of only three teams - Portchester and Hythe being the others - to have denied Bemerton victory.

‘Against Portchester we were excellent, we deserved three points,’ said Birmingham. ‘Here, both sides agreed a draw was a fair result.

‘We defended very well as a team - Chad Field had a good battle with Steve Walker at set-pieces and TJ (Jeffes) had a good battle with Kane O’Keefe.’

Last season’s 41-goal top scorer Connor Duffin, meanwhile, could be in the squad for next weekend’s long trek to Portland United.