Pitman reaches half-century for second season running
Brett Pitman’s 50th goal of the season kept former club AFC Portchester waiting to book their place in the Wessex League play-offs.
The Royals would have guaranteed themselves a top five finish if they had claimed a third successive Premier Division win at Coppice Street. But after belting 10 goals in their two previous visits, they drew a blank.
That meant it was Shaftesbury who sealed their play-off place thanks to Pitman’s first-half header and a second half penalty save from Shane Murphy, who kept out Harrison Brook’s spot-kick.
Pitman has now scored exactly 100 goals since dropping down into the ninth tier in the summer of 2022 to sign for Portchester.
The former Fratton Park favourite struck 50 goals for the Royals in 43 league and cup starts, plus four off the bench, with 46 of those coming in league action.
He has reached his Shaftesbury half-century in just 36 starts, plus one as a sub, with 48 in Wessex action.
Pitman needs seven goals in his last six league games to beat Andy Forbes’ Wessex Premier seasonal record of 55. If he gets them, he will have set a new record in a season where clubs played four fewer games than when Forbes was playing for Winchester in 2003/04.
As for Portchester, they will seal their play-off place by beating Fareham in the ‘El Creekio’ derby at the On-Site Stadium on Easter Saturday.
That derby is sandwiched between two cup semis at the same ground - against Southampton’s youngsters in the Hampshire Senior Cup tonight and AFC Stoneham in the Wessex League Cup next Tuesday.
Fareham have TWO more games before facing Portchy.
They host Folland in the Russell Cotes Cup tonight and then welcome Portland to Cams Alders for a league game 48 hours later.
Graham Rix’s men followed up last Thursday’s goalless Wessex stalemate at US Portsmouth by beating play-off hopefuls Cowes 3-1 at Cams Alders. Secondhalf goals came from Lewis Colvin, Sam Woodward and Charlie Cooper in what was only Fareham’s third home league game since October 14.