'Very strange game' - Meon Milton held to a remarkable 7-7 draw in Hampshire Premier League goal-fest

But have you ever witnessed a 7-7 scoreline? The chances are probably not.

It’s never happened in the top four divisions of English football, the League Cup, EFL Trophy, FA Trophy or FA Vase, although Wealdstone and Dulwich Hamlet did share 14 goals in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round in November 1929.

And on Saturday it occurred in Hampshire Premier League Division One as Meon Milton and Lyndhurst contested an extraordinary 7-7 draw.

As you might expect, there was no shortage of drama at Cockleshell Community Sports Club.

In a see-saw contest, Lyndhurst opened up a 4-1 lead before Meon roared back to go 6-4 and 7-5 in front.

Lyndhurst, though, weren’t finished and salvaged a point with the last kick of a game that will live long in the memory of everyone who was part of it.

Another unusual detail was that two Meon players scored hat-tricks, yet still didn’t end up on the winning side.

Meon manager Wayne Grant told The News: “It was a very strange game. It was definitely a post-Christmas game of football, everyone looked a little bit rusty with the long lay-off.

“But it was good for the neutrals. All the spectators were like: ‘what a game of football’.”

Meon went into the match lying second in the table having drawn with leaders Whiteley Wanderers the previous weekend, whereas Lyndhurst were bottom and without four players who were watching Southampton at St Mary’s.

Yet Cameron Morgan and Will Whitcher fired the visitors into a 2-0 lead, and though Frankie Large pulled one back, Harrison Vidler and Morgan put Lyndhurst 4-1 in front.

Then came the Meon turnaround. Sam Emeney’s first goal made it 4-2 at half time and the same player netted twice more to level the scores at 4-4.

Two Conor Mansfield goals put Meon 6-4 ahead and after Sam Vidler notched Lyndhurst’s fifth, Mansfield completed his treble to make it 7-5.

A Meon own goal gave Lyndhurst hope, however, and they nabbed a dramatic equaliser right at the end when Jack Good got on the end of a ball over the top before the goalkeeper and knocked it home.

Lyndhurst manager Sam Dempster said: “I had a lot of players unavailable and we weren’t actually expecting anything from the game, so we were happy with a point.

“It was one of those where we’re celebrating because we’ve managed to get a point, but also we’ve thrown a 4-1 lead away, so it was deflating as well.

“We really enjoyed it. Meon Milton are a really good bunch and it was played in a good spirit as well.”