ALTON Town, seemingly down and out at half-time, had high-riding Gosport Borough hanging on desperately at the finish of this pulsating match at the Bass Sports Ground on Tuesday night.

After taking the lead during a bright first 15 minutes, Alton were slaughtered by the second-placed visitors over the next half-hour and conceded four goals before the interval gave them a welcome respite.

"We were particularly poor and they battered us," said Alton manager Dave Hawtin. "We gave the ball away so easily and the marking at the back was poor."

But he gave Gosport credit for being a good side. "The half-time score didn't flatter them. They were taking the micky out of us at one stage, but they had earned the right to do so.

"I told our lads a few home truths at half-time. We had nothing to lose and it was all about pride.

"And they were excellent in the second half. When we got our third goal, there were still 30 minutes left and Gosport were panicking."

Alton had started confidently, despite the sticky surface, and Gosport had a lucky escape in the first five minutes. Simon Pullman's cross-shot came back off the post and John Edwards just failed to get on the end of the rebound, the ball spinning away for a corner.

Alton's pace on the break was troubling Gosport and the opening goal followed on 10 minutes. Edwards' pass sent Dave Bridger clean through to beat goalkeeper Geoff Simm with a fierce shot inside the far post.

But that marked the end of Alton's progress in this half. Gosport raised their game by several notches and the equaliser swiftly followed as Danny Sturman finished expertly in a one-on-one.

Gosport's twin strikers, Neil Scammell and Steve Watt, showed their scoring prowess as the home goal came under a relentless seige.

Scammell scored with a free header at the back post after some particularly sloppy defensive work by Alton, but Borough's third goal was nothing short of brilliant.

As a long, high ball dropped out of the sky, Scammell's superb first touch wrong-footed his marker. Looking up, he spotted Steve Sladen off his line and chipped the ball into the net from fully 30 yards.

Watt's header, from almost on the goal-line, made it 4-1 and although it clearly looked offside, Alton could't really complain about the scoreline – such had been Gosport's superiority.

They were arrogant with it, but all that went out of the window after half-time, with a transformed Alton side scoring within three minutes.

Jamie Smith, on his comeback for Town after a spell at Winchester, made the opening with a deft touch and Edwards ran through to slide the ball under the goalkeeper. There was more than a hint of offside about this goal as well. Perhaps the linesman was balancing things up.

Ten minutes later, Nathan Bray flicked on Ian Dyer's corner-kick and as the ball looped up, 'keeper Simm could only palm it into his own net.

Game on, with plenty of time remaining, Alton right on top, and Gosport hitting the panic button.

Twice, Alton looked certain to equalise in goalmouth skirmishes, only for the ball to somehow roll through into Simm's arms.

Then Bridger looked well positioned to unleash one of his venomous shots, but opted to square the ball to an unmarked Smith and didn't get it quite right.

Although they barely had a shot on target in the second half, Gosport managed to hang on to close the gap on leaders Eastleigh to a single point.

"But we got our self-respect back and Gosport were really relieved at the end," said Hawtin.

Alton: Sladen, Chivers, Larvan, Bray, Pullman, Wood (Taylor 84 mins), Ventham, Edwards, Dyer, Bridger, Smith (Mealey 60 mins). Sub (not used) Guy.