Seventh heaven for AFC Portchester and former Portsmouth star Brett Pitman ahead of Wessex League summit showdown

The striker struck his 12th goal of the season in Saturday’s 3-0 Wessex Premier win at Christchurch.

It continued Pitman’s record of scoring in all seven of his Premier Division games this term - as the Royals chalked up a seventh straight win, their longest ever winning Wessex top flight streak.

Ryan Wilkins and George Barker were also on target against Priory as Portchester had the game wrapped up by half-time.

It was Barker’s fifth league and cup goal of the season, and the former Brighton, Swindon and Tranmere player is now his side’s second top score behind Pitman.

The Royals are one of only seven clubs across the 14 step 5 divisions of English football still boasting a 100 per cent league record in 2022/23.

But they remain second in the table on goal difference as Bemerton Heath Harlequins stay top on goal difference with a 3-2 success at Shaftesbury.

The stage is now set for Tuesday’s summit showdown between the top two at Portchester. At least one 100 per cent record will go, possibly both.

With one eye on Bemerton’s visit, Royals boss Dave Carter shuffled his pack from their midweek Wessex League win at New Milton.

Ryan Pennery, Sam Pearce, Liam Robinson and Marley Ridge were all on the bench at Christchurch after starting in midweek.

Pitman, Wilkins, Elliott Wheeler and Jake Raine returned to the starting line-up against a Priory side losing for the sixth game running (seven if you include a Wessex League penalty shoot-out loss).

‘It was a game of two halves,’ reported Carter. ‘The job was done in the first half when we went 3-0 up.

‘I told the boys at half-time to relax, don’t pick up any injuries, we’ve got a big game on Tuesday.’

There was a clean sheet on his league debut for former Polish youth international goalkeeper Amadeusz Skrzyniarz, who had made his first appearance for the club at New Milton.

Up front, Portchester have now netted 37 times in winning eight successive league and cup fixtures. In all this season, they have won 11 of their 12 competitive fixtures, losing only to higher tier Sholing in the FA Cup.

Apart from Portchester and Bemerton, meanwhile, the only other five clubs in step 5 to have won all their league games so far are Badshot Lea (Combined Counties Premier South), Ascot and Reading City (both Combined Counties Premier North), Wythenshawe Town (North West Counties League Premier) and Erith & Belvedere (Southern Counties East).