Something has to give as AFC Portchester travel to Stoneham for the Wessex League’s game of the season so far

Premier Division leaders AFC Portchester put their unbeaten record on the line at a Stoneham side who have won every single home league game in 2022/23.

Remarkably, the Royals are unbeaten in league action on the road for almost a year - their last loss on their travels a 4-1 beating at Bashley on February 12, 2022.

Even more impressively, that was the same day that Stoneham last dropped home Wessex points. Since drawing 1-1 with Alresford almost 12 months ago, the Purples have rattled off 18 successive home victories - 13 of them this term.

If you want to devour more stats, here’s another one: since that 4-1 loss at Bashley, Portchester have won 28, drawn four and lost just once (4-1 at home to Hamworthy on April 9 last year) in Wessex League action.

‘They are good stats,’ said Portchester boss Dave Carter when informed of them. ‘It should be a fantastic game for the neutral, like when we played at home to Bemerton.’

Having won 21 and drawn two of their 23 games this term, you could expect Portchester to be completely running away with the title.

Not so. The Royals enter this weekend’s fixture seven points ahead of Stoneham, albeit with a game in hand. And Horndean would be just six points adrift of Portchester if they won their two matches in hand.

Bemerton, in fourth, are eight points behind Stoneham with two games in hand.

‘Without being rude to anyone, I can’t see anyone else breaking into the top four,’ said Carter. ‘So any game against those teams is a bigger game.

‘Stoneham have done well this season, fair play to them. It was a good competitive game at our place.

‘First of all, we have to make sure we don’t get beat (this weekend), but we’ll go there looking to win.

SEE MORE: 29 Portsmouth area youth football team photos, 2003-07

‘They won’t want to lose their home record - that will make our task a bit harder.’

A brace from Scott Jones and one from Marley Ridge gave Portchester a 3-2 home win over Stoneham on December 3 - all five goals coming in the first half.

Since then, the Purples have won nine out of their last 10 league games, drawing the other. The one game they didn’t win - a 2-2 draw at Portland - was the only one during that period that didn’t take place on their own 3G pitch at Stoneham Lane.

Carter admits he’s not a big fan of artificial surfaces, though his players are familiar with them as they train at Hawks’ Westleigh Park every week.

The Royals have played two Wessex games on 3Gs this season – a 5-4 win at Shaftesbury and a 3-3 draw against Moneyfields at Westleigh Park.

Defender Sam Pearce is available again for Portchester after serving a four-game suspension for his second red card of the season.

Elliott Wheeler is also available after missing last week’s win against Shaftesbury due to becoming a dad a few days earlier. Midfielder Jake Raine’s ankle injury will also be assessed at training tonight.

Carter took no risks at all in midweek, sending the Royals’ under-23s to face Farnborough in the Hampshire Senior Cup rather than fielding any Wessex regulars.

A strong Boro side romped to an 8-0 victory, with Carter admitting: ‘The under-23s gave it everything, it was great experience for the lads. They played a Conference South side at a Conference South ground.

‘The league is more important, promotion is more important.’