US Portsmouth make winning start to crucial period in their Wessex League campaign

They opened up a five-point gap over second-placed Pagham by twice coming from behind to win 4-2 at Bournemouth Poppies.

Now fourth-bottom USP face three games in quick success against the three clubs currently below them.

They host rock bottom Alresford next Saturday before a trip to third-bottom Blackfield & Langley on December 3. A week later they welcome Pagham to HMS Temeraire.

There is also a trip to face AFC Stoneham - who have already fired 10 goals past USP in two games this season - on November 26.

But it’s the three games against their fellow strugglers which could have a big say their bid to climb up into the mid-table zone.

‘If we put in the hard work, we could be in an okay position going into the Christmas period,’ said boss Fraser Quirke.

If that is to be the case, USP need to rapidly improve their home form - just one point from seven league games at the Victory Stadium in 2022/23.

They made a bad start at Poppies, falling a goal down inside just 22 seconds, before Cameron Quirke rolled a free-kick to Lamin Jatta to level five minutes later.

After Poppies had retaken the lead, it was 2-2 when Kelvin Mathe converted a penalty - following a foul on Quirke - on the stroke of half-time.

USP stepped it up following the restart and went ahead when Mathe drove into the box, cut inside and netted by the keeper’s near post.

Sub Brodie Spencer sealed USP’s third away league win of the season late on, his first goal of the campaign.

‘The performance wasn’t great in the first half,’ said Quirke, ‘but it was very good in the second half.

‘We showed resilience, commitment and fight to twice come from behind, and we were more competitive in the second half, more on the front foot.

‘The second half performance got us a full deserved victory.’

Mathe was handed just his sixth league and cup start of the season, playing as a central strike.

Simon Woods could be out until mid-December with injury, while Brandon Jewell was unavailable for the trip to Dorset.