AFC Portchester suffered more away day agony with defeat on the road at Littlehampton Town.
The Royals battled back from 2-0 down to draw level in the first half and they looked likely to secure the three points in the second half before conceding again midway through the half.
Saturday’s result came on the back of the 4-4 draw at high-flying Westfield in midweek where Portchester took the lead three times and led 4-2 with 20 minutes remaining.
The biggest frustration for the Royals will be that despite their poor away league form so far this campaign, they netted six away goals in these two away games and could easily have had six points on the road to show for their efforts instead of just a solitary point.
This game followed something of what has become a regular pattern in that Portchester started brightly before the opposition grabbed the initiative mid-way through the first half.
Zack Willett went close to scoring after only 30 seconds when the Royals broke forward quickly but he put his shot from 15 yards out wide of the goal.
On seven minutes a quick free kick down the left wasn’t fully cleared by the home defence and Alfie Stanley crossed the ball to Lee Wort but his header drifted wide.
Four minutes later the home side had their first chance of the game when they broke from the halfway line down the right. Freddie Hammond cut inside and then hit a shot which was partially deflected but keeper Steven Mowthorpe made a sharp save.
Littlehampton took the lead on 14 minutes when Josh Short drove down the middle of the pitch, exchanged a one-two with Dave Herbert inside the penalty area and then had a shot which was well saved by Mowthorpe. The ball ran to George Gaskin and although Mowthorpe got to the follow up shot it found its way over the line.
The Royals found themselves 2-0 down nine minutes later when a goal kick from keeper Billy Collings bounced past a couple of defenders before Hammond helped it on to Herbert inside the box and he dispatched his low shot past Mowthorpe and into the net.
It could have got worse still for the visitors on 31 minutes when the ball rolled from a tackle on the edge of the box to Hammond but his low shot was saved by Mowthorpe.
Portchester suddenly burst back into life at the other end of the pitch when they pulled a goal back on 39 minutes. Calvin Davies played his free kick from the half way line up to Wort on the edge of the box and he knocked it down into the path of Tommy Scutt, whose first time shot from 20 yards out beat Collings low to his right as it flew into the net.
The Royals drew level three minutes later when Charlie Williamson broke through down the right with a run that started in his own half. After making his way into the penalty area he played the ball inside to Josh Clack, who put his shot low into the net at the near post.
The visitors almost took the lead on the stroke of half time when a free kick was partially cleared as far as Archie Willcox and his shot from outside of the box had to be blocked by Collings’ legs.
Portchester looked the more likely winners as the second half wore on. Scutt managed to get clear down the right hand side of the box but his shot was blocked by Collings.
In the next attack the ball was crossed low across the six yard box and Willett looked to tuck his shot home but a defender’s sliding tackle blocked the opportunity.
However, what proved to be the winning goal came on 69 minutes from a corner on the right. It was hit to the far post and not dealt with by the visitors and when the ball bounced down loose inside the six yard box substitute Matthew Storm was there to turn it over the line.
The closest the Royals came to an equaliser in the final 20 minutes of the game came on 78 minutes when Stanley received the ball on the left edge of the penalty area but his shot took a deflection and dropped narrowly wide of the goal.
