Sam Pearce sent off for third time this season as AFC Portchester’s unbeaten Wessex League record is ended at title rivals AFC Stoneham

The former Hawks, Gosport Borough and Moneyfields defender was dismissed for handball during a 2-1 defeat at Premier Division title rivals and home specialists AFC Stoneham.

It was Pearce’s first game back after serving a four-match suspension for being sent off against Hamble Club last month.

Though the Hamble game was abandoned with 20 minutes remaining due to floodlight failure, Pearce’s red card still stood.

His first dismissal of the season had come in a Wessex League Cup loss to Baffins in October.

He will now serve another three-game suspension - one for the red card against Stoneham and one each for his second and third red cards of 2022/23.

Already trailing at the time, Pearce’s 53rd minute dismissal and subsequent penalty conversion saw the Royals slip 2-0 down.

Brett Pitman pulled one back from the penalty spot on 67 minutes - his 33rd league goal of the season and his 39th in all competitions.

But Portchester were unable to find a leveller and there are now just three clubs - Loughborough Students (United Counties League Premier), Andover New Street (Wessex Division 1) and Shoreham (Southern Combination Division 1) left unbeaten in league action in the top 10 tiers of English football.

It was the Royals’ first league defeat since a 4-1 home reverse against champions Hamworthy United on April 9, 2022. It was also their first away league loss for virtually a year - a 4-1 beating at Bashley on February 12, 2022.

Stoneham are now four points behind Portchester, having played a game more. Horndean, meanwhile, are now nine points adrift with two games in hand.

‘It’s wide open now,’ said Royals boss Dave Carter. ‘And the top four have all got to play each other. We’ve got to play Bemerton and Horndean, and Stoneham have to play Horndean twice.’

Regarding his side’s first defeat of the Wessex campaign, he added: ‘It was a game between two good sides, it could have gone either way. I don’t think neither side deserved to lose.

‘On the day the decisions didn’t go our way, that’s football - some days they go for you and others they don’t.’

While Pearce was dismissed, the visitors were left questioning why the Stoneham player who also gave away a penalty for handballed wasn’t shown a card.

Carter said Portchy also have video evidence that a Stoneham player handled near his own goalline late on.

In a tight first half, the Wessex Premier’s top two goalscorers both had a chance. But while Duarte Martins took his just after the half-hour mark - his 31st league and cup goal of the term - Pitman fired his effort over the bar.

‘It was a cagey first half,’ reported Carter. ‘We felt at half-time we had a few more gears to go through.’

After Pitman’s spot-kick, the nearest Portchester came to an equaliser was when Liam Robinson forced a good save from keeper Callum Lee.

Stoneham have now rattled off a staggering 19 successive home Wessex wins in a row, including 14 this season.

Baffins, Pagham, Laverstock, Horndean and Hamble Club will be bidding to ensure they don’t complete the entire season with a 100 per cent record.

As for Portchy, they travel to relegation-threatened Bournemouth Poppies next weekend.

By the time that game kicks off, Stoneham could have narrowed their lead to just a solitary point.

The Purples are in action on Friday night, facing Moneyfields at Westleigh Park (8pm).