High-flying Fareham come out on top in 14-goal thriller

A goal down inside two minutes, Fareham equalised before scoring three times in seven minutes to lead 4-1 before Harborne hit back with three strikes of their own to make it 4-4.

A successful Shane Vincent penalty stroke sparked another Fareham three-goal frenzy to make it 7-4, but Harborne’s Peter Jackson converted his fourth short corner before the visitors tied it up with two more goals in the last five minutes.

‘The only downside to it all was that, due to Covid ground regulations, no spectators were allowed to watch a humdinger of a match,' beamed jubilant Fareham manager Malcolm Davies.

It took Fareham only two minutes to realise the danger Jackson would create from Harborne’s set pieces – but Alex Boxall soon levelled things up.

A Chris Davey brace and a fourth goal by Vincent sent Fareham into a 4-1 lead which Stefan Sekula trimmed before half-time.

Nine minutes into the third quarter Jackson had completed a hat-trick of penalty corner conversions as stand-in Fareham goalie Josh Dawson found himself in the firing line, making it 4-4.

Fareham dusted themselves down and within five minutes had restored their lead courtesy of a Vincent penalty flick.

Tom Larcombe and Davey, with his hat-trick goal, stretched Fareham’s lead to 7-4 – but Harborne refused to lie down and when Fareham conceded another short corner, Jackson duly obliged.

Fareham, who host Plymouth Marjon at Henry Cort on Saturday (1.30pm), finally wrapped it up with two short corners of their own in the last five minutes, Rob Wilson and Niall Stott converting.

n With first choice Rory Kemp isolating and awaiting the result of a Covid test, Fareham dragged coach George Harris out of retirement to play in the second team’s Hampshire/Surrey Regional League match at Croydon & Old Whitgiftians.

It didn’t pay off as Fareham lost 10-0.