US Portsmouth out to keep Brett Pitman waiting to bring up his AFC Portchester seasonal half-century of goals

The former Pompey star has so far belted 49 goals in 37 league and cup starts plus two sub appearances for Premier Division table-toppers AFC Portchester. Of those, 43 have come in 32 league starts.

Pitman has yet to register back-to-back blanks in Wessex action, so that’s bad news for US Portsmouth, this weekend’s visitors to the On-Site Group Stadium.

The 36-year-old failed to net in Tuesday’s dramatic 3-2 stoppage time win at Hythe - only the sixth time he had failed to score in a Premier game this term.

Among the matches he did score in were a 3-1 success at US Portsmouth last October. There he struck twice in three first half minutes.

Despite Pitman’s prolific season, he is currently only the joint second in a list of highest scorers in the top 10 tiers.

Leading the way is Japanese-born Morrison Hashii, who has fired a stunning 58 goals for Combined Counties League Division 1 club London Samurai in the 10th tier. Of that haul, 53 have arrived in just 29 league outings.

Aiden Rutledge - who plays for 10th tier outfit Birtley in Division 2 of the Northern League - is also on 49 league and cup goals.

Stats show Pitman has been responsible for 39.8 per cent of all Portchester’s league goals this term - scoring virtually two of every five goals the team have netted.

In terms of goals per minute, though, Horndean’s Zack Willett is ahead of Pitman.

The pacy former Paulsgrove attacker is in red hot form, with four hat-tricks in his last six Wessex appearances.

In all, Willett has 41 goals in just 34 appearances (31 starts, 3 sub) - a ratio of 1.20 goals per game, compared to Pitman’s 1.25 ratio.

Willett has been substituted 11 times this season, however - on occasions at half-time and before the hour mark - while Pitman has completed all but one of his 39 appearances.

Willett has struck 36.6 per cent of Horndean’s league goals. For comparison’s sake, Duarte Martins - the 20-goal leading Wessex scorer for second-placed Stoneham - has only scored 23.8 per cent of his side’s league goals.

Moneyfields’ Callum Laycock is fourth in the Wessex Premier scorers list with 19 goals, and he has contributed 28 per cent of his side’s league goals.

Horndean, 10 points adrift of Portchester but with three games in hand, host Brockenhurst this weekend.

The Deans have belted 18 goals and conceded none in winning their last three league games, while Brock have shipped 22 goals in losing their last six.

If form is any guide, therefore, Willett could be filling his boots again this weekend...