Alresford Town 4, AFC Portchester 3

A LATE winner from Liam Hibberd saw off a high-flying AFC Portchester side who had battled back from three goals down in an entertaining Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division clash at Arlebury Park on Tuesday night.

And it proved to be the perfect tonic for the Magpies after their heart-breaking 1-0 extra-time defeat against Bodmin Town in the FA Vase on Saturday.

Each side dominated a half - the first half belonged to Alresford as they raced into a 3-0 lead after 24 minutes but Portchester battled back in the second half to draw level, despite having only 10 men for 35 minutes.

But in a late twist it was Alresford who netted the winner with six minutes remaining to snatch the points against their lofty opponents.

The home side ran Portchester ragged early on and took the lead after only nine minutes. An Alresford player looked yards offside when the ball was played through midfield but play continued and a low cross into the box was tucked away by Sam Burt.

Alresford went 2-0 up on 16 minutes thanks to a helping hand from Portchester. A corner from the right dropped inside the six-yard box and a defender knocked it back across goal and Luke Dempsey was in the right place to slide the ball into the far corner of the net.

Dan Simmonds almost sniffed out a chance when the home keeper and a defender nearly gifted him possession of the ball during a mix-up but the home side got their third goal on 24 minutes. The Magpies broke down the right wing again and there were two players unmarked when the cross went into the box, and Paul Coventry side footed home from six yards.

The visitors eventually pulled a goal back on 38 minutes when Sean Wain slipped the perfect pass through to set Simmonds clear of the defence and his shot beat Kempson at his near post.

Portchester got their second goal 10 minutes into the second half from a corner on the left. Olly Searle’s first attempt on goal hit one of his own players but when the ball was turned back to him he made no mistake with his follow up.

The visitors were keen to retrieve the ball straight after the goal and re-start play but when Kempson tried to prevent that, Simmonds and the keeper clashed sparking a pushing and shoving match in the penalty area and the referee showed Simmonds a straight red card.

Portchester grabbed a deserved equaliser on 74 minutes when their two young substitutes combined. Billy Connor received the ball on the left and then crossed it to Joel Jackson, whose downward header from six yards out bounced up over Kempson’s dive and into the net.

But Alresford were not to be denied as Hibberd picked up the ball near the halfway line and drove forward toward the penalty area before unleashing a curling shot from 20 yards which hit the inside of the post and bounced into the net.