Defining few minutes put Hammers in title control

could well turn out to be a defining few minutes in the race for the 2021/22 Wessex League Premier Division title.

At around 4.40pm on Saturday, in the 84th minute of their game, leaders Horndean had just levelled against second-placed Hamworthy thanks to Connor Duffin’s 30th league and cup goal of the season.

Ten miles or so away on, thirdplaced Baffins Milton Rovers were leading US Portsmouth 1-0 despite having been reduced to 10 men in the first half.

At that stage, Horndean led Baffins by a point with the Hammers in third place.

But within 60 seconds of Duffin’s leveller, Hamworthy caught Horndean with a sucker punch winner. And US Portsmouth’s injury-time leveller in the Portsea Island derby was another massive boost for the Dorset club.

Now Tim Sills’ Hammers are just a point behind Horndean with three games in hand, while they are a point ahead of Baffins with a game in hand.

Huge matches remain on the fixture list, not least March 19 (Hamworthy v Horndean) and April 2 (Hamworthy v Baffins). And before that, on February 12, it’s Horndean v Baffins.

No doubt there will be more twists and turns, but it is clear Hamworthy are in a great position to win the Wessex League for the first time.

Yes, they are still in the FA Vase through to the last 16 - and nerves/ excitement will increase with every step closer they take to Wembley.

But the best Wessex League squads can cope - Wimborne, Winchester

City and Sholing all lifted the Vase in the same season they won the Premier Division title as well. Who would bet against Hamworthy doing the same?

Horndean v Hamworthy presented a fascinating contest between attack and defence. In the home corner, the Deans entered the game as the second highest scorers in the 14 divisions of step 5 non-league football in England.

The only side with more goals than their 86 was Sussex outfit Littlehampton (90), and that was only because the latter swamped

East Preston 12-1 earlier this month.

In the away corner, Hamworthy had only conceded 15 goals in 23 league games, an average of 0.652 - the sixth best ratio across the 14 step 5 divisions.

As it turned out, it was the Hammers’ well organised defence who won the day in a game where clear chances at either end were hard to come by.

This was the first time the two clubs had met since the Deans had triumphed 3-0 at Five Heads Park in August 2019. Much has changed since, and Horndean skipper Ash Howes was the only player on either side who had also started in the previous meeting.

It was the visitors who created the better openings in the first half It