AFC Stoneham edge past a resilient Bemerton Heath Harlequins side 2-1 to stay second in the Wessex Premier League.

Second versus third certainly did not disappoint the crowd on Tuesday night, with thePurps coming out victorious in a fast-paced and competitive affair.

The game was action-packed from the very first whistle, with both teams utilising their pacy wingers to spring an attack when possession was turned over.

It didn’t take long for Stoneham to gain the lead when the ball was flicked on by Lewis Nagle to Duarte Martins, who laid it off for Jim Orvis to pick his spot from the edge of the box and wrap the ball into the top left corner.

This goal meant that Stoneham had now scored inside the first 15 minutes in their last three games but, failing to win in their last two means that the statistic isn’t as impressive as it first seems.

Wingers Stuart Green and Danny Young were the clear route out of trouble for the away team as they looked to find them on numerous occasions, but Cade Dyer and Tommy Barnes dealt with their speed and trickery brilliantly to isolate them from the goal.

Stoneham’s goalkeeper Callum Lee had to make a few saves in the first half, with one of them being a fierce shot from Green on a one vs one, but the young goalkeeper got down well to palm it away from danger.

He also pulled out another world class save just minutes later after a controversial free kick was given right on the edge of the box, but the low shot under the wall from Young was saved smartly again by Lee.

It was Bemerton who ended the first half the better of the two teams, applying constant pressure to the Stoneham defence, but the home team managed to hold out and take a one goal lead into the half time break.

HALF TIME: AFC Stoneham 1-0 Bemerton Heath Harlequins

The action didn’t take long to warm up in the second half when the away side came close to finding an equaliser, but Green’s acrobatic effort cannoned off the crossbar and prevented him from levelling the scoring.

Scott Hills and Lewis Nagle were causing problems yet again down the flanks, but they didn’t quite have the final ball to match the excellent pieces of skill on display.

The Purps started to dictate proceedings and pin Harlequins back during this period of the game, but the persistent crosses into the box were too comfortable for the defence who headed them away with ease nearly every time.

However, the home team reaped the rewards after switching up their tactics and within two passes, the ball was thread through to top scorer Martins, who inevitably rolled the ball past a helpless Patrick Creese for his 29th goal this season and gave his side a two-goal cushion with 25 minutes remaining.

Bemerton were frustrated at conceding a second and they seemed to channel this frustration into their game, forcing Stoneham back and putting them under siege for the remaining minutes.

After a spell of possession and a flurry of corners, Bemerton finally made good use of oneof them when the ball in from Young was nodded home by the statuesque Kane O’Keefe, unsettling Stoneham as they try and hold onto the lead.

But unfortunately for the away side the Purps managed to hold on for the last 10 minutes, claiming all three points in a huge game towards the top of the table, keeping them firmly in second place.

FULL TIME: AFC STONEHAM 2-1 BEMERTON HEATH HARLEQUINS

AFC Stoneham Starting XI: Lee; Barnes, Dyer, Wan, Clarke; Bainbridge, Welch (c), Orvis; Nagle, Martins, Hills

Subs: Thomson, Sunley, Bulpitt, Wiseman, Ovington

Bemerton Heath Harlequins: Creese; Rayfield, O’Keefe, Bennett, Burden; Henry, Higgins, Green, Young; Sweeney, Clancy

Subs:Tulk, Taylor, Hale, Gunstone-Gray