AFC Portchester grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory as Bognor Regis Town produced a shock fight back to claim all three points.
The Royals were flying at one point – leading 4-1 after 50 minutes after dominating the first half – but Bognor managed to somehow hang in there and momentum well and truly shifted in their direction as they not only got back on level terms in the second half, but they snatched the win with an injury time goal.
What will be just as pleasing from the Bognor point of view is that as well as completing a sensational comeback they claimed all three points at a ground where the vast majority have failed to do this in recent years.
The Rocks became only the fifth side to beat AFC Portchester at The OnSite Group Stadium since the start of the 2022-23 season – that was just the fifth defeat in their last 58 home league games for the Royals.
We didn’t have to wait long for the arrival of the first goal in this nine goal thriller. It came on four minutes after a Bognor player had been caught as the home side looked to clear their lines and Tommy Scutt sent keeper Steven Mowthorpe diving the wrong way with his spot kick.
However, Portchester drew level six minutes later after Lee Wort picked up the ball in midfield and played it out to Zack Willett on the right. His cross to the far post picked out Alfie Stanley and he headed the ball into the net.
The home side took the lead on 21 minutes when Wort’s ball in from the left picked out Willett who sent his header on to the crossbar but the rebound dropped straight back to him and he headed the ball into the empty net.
The third Portchester goal almost followed four minutes later when a corner from the left was flicked towards his own goal by Tommy Block and keeper Mac Chisholm had to produce a fine fingertip save to divert the ball over the crossbar.
Willett headed another corner straight at Chisholm and from the next one Lee’s header was going in before a defender managed to partially block the ball and it flew just wide of his own net.
On 39 minutes Ryan Pennery and James Cowan combined to get down the left hand side of the penalty area and the shot was partially blocked before a defender got back to clear the danger.
The Royals went 3-1 up in the sixth minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half. Willett again got in behind the Bognor defence on the right and he lifted the ball to Pennery in front of goal and he steered his shot into the net.
Portchester started the second half brightly and on 48 minutes Willett picked up the ball in space just outside the penalty area but he put his shot straight at Chisholm.
Two minutes later they were 4-1 up when a corner from the right headed straight to Chisholm but under pressure from Jack Lee he dropped the ball inside the six yard box and the Royals defender applied the finishing touch to knock the loose ball over the line.
Bognor should have pulled their first goal back on 53 minutes when Simba Mlambo missed from close range but the visitors did score a minute later when Callum Laycock slid in to convert a cross from the right.
Billy Allcock was causing the home side plenty of problems on the right wing and he tried to curl a shot home after cutting inside the penalty area but he put his effort straight at Mowthorpe.
On 62 minutes the home side were inches away from killing off the Bognor comeback when a corner from the right found Stanley on the far side of the box and his curling effort thumped against the crossbar and was cleared to safety.
That was Portchester’s last chance to shift the momentum of this game back in their favour as Bognor made it 4-3 a minute later. The visitors produced a flowing move forwards through midfield and the ball was worked up to Allcock who hit a curling shot into the net that left Mowthorpe with no chance of getting to it.
Allcock had two more attempts on goal created from runs which saw him cut in from the right – the first flew well over the target but the second from the edge of the box went narrowly wide.
Bognor’s fightback was completed with five minutes remaining when they netted their equaliser. A dangerous cross was sent into the heart of the penalty area and Allcock was on hand to head the ball home.
Any idea that either side would shut up shop and settle for a point at this stage was a mistaken one as both created chances to snatch a fifth goal in the closing stages.
Rob Taw’s inswinging cross from the right had Chisholm back peddling but the ball dropped just over the bar and in the final minute of normal time Willett’s cross from the right picked out Connor Duffin at the far post but he put his header agonisingly wide of the target.
The winning goal which stunned the Portchester contingent came in the eighth minute of injury time. Allcock again proved to be the danger man, sending in a cross which Mowthorpe partially blocked but the ball fell to Mlambo and he knocked it home from close range.
