The Hawks endured the worst possible start to the contest, falling behind inside just three minutes. A long free kick from Dec McCarthy was controlled by Dan Mason, who laid the ball off to Jake McCarthy, and his deflected strike wrong-footed Lorenz Ferdinand to give Sholing the early lead.

Havant & Waterlooville responded superbly, however, and were level just five minutes later. A mistake at the back from the visitors was ruthlessly punished as McCarthy’s loose kick was seized upon by Thorpe, who took a touch before lifting a composed finish over the stranded goalkeeper to make it 1–1.

After a frantic opening[ ten minutes, the game settled into a more even rhythm, with both sides enjoying spells of possession. On the half-hour mark, Sholing threatened to retake the lead, but Ferdinand was equal to it, producing an excellent save to push an outside-of-the-boot effort around the post.

The Hawks continued to grow into the half and went ahead. A corner caused problems in the Sholing box, and despite a fine save from Dec McCarthy, captain Ryan Seager was there to tap it into the net. Then, right on the stroke of half-time, the Hawks struck again. Ryan Seager broke through on goal and unselfishly squared the ball for Leon Maloney, who calmly slotted home to give the Hawks breathing space.

After conceding inside three minutes, it was an impressive response from the Hawks, who head into the break with a comfortable two-goal cushion following a strong first-half comeback.

HALF TIME: HAVANT AND WATERLOOVILLE 3-1 SHOLING

The second half began in frustrating fashion for the Hawks, as Sholing struck just three minutes after the restart. Early pressure wasn’t dealt with, and after the Hawks failed to clear their lines, Jake McCarthy fired home from close range to claim his second of the afternoon. Despite strong protests from the Hawks over a possible foul in the build-up, the goal stood and cut the deficit.

That goal shifted the momentum, with Sholing pushing forward in search of an equaliser. Havant & Waterlooville struggled to regain control, and the visitors drew level. Once again, the Hawks were unable to clear their lines inside the penalty area, allowing McCarthy to strike from a tight angle and complete his hat-trick.

As the match moved deep into stoppage time, it looked as though the points would be shared. However, the Hawks had one final twist left. In the 95th minute, Laidlaw floated a ball into the box, which was met by a Hawks header and flicked on into the path of Milner-Smith, who nodded the ball into the net to spark wild celebrations and seal a dramatic late winner.

In a thrilling contest full of momentum swings, the Hawks showed real character to respond to setbacks and snatch all three points in the dying moments of the game. Next up for the Hawks is the visit of Farnham Town on Wednesday night.

FULL TIME: HAVANT AND WATERLOOVILLE 4-3 SHOLING

Havant and Waterlooville: Ferdinand (GK), Taylor, Milner-Smith, Willson, Pendlebury (Giwa-McNeil 74’), Seager (C), Maloney (Swann 90’), Thorpe (Fosu 85’), Rooney, Aston, Laidlaw

Unused Subs: Nkwonta, Owusu

Cautions: Milner-Smith 34’, Rooney 90+6’

Goals: Thorpe 8’, Seager 40’, Maloney 45’, Milner-Smith 90+5

Sholing: D. McCarthy (GK), Rabbetts (Roberts 60’), Riley-Snow (Jones 74’), Whishart, Taylor, J. McCarthy, Mason (C) (German 74’), Targett, Magri, Wylie, Higgs (Tume 70’)

Unused Subs: Searle (GK)

Cautions: Magri 75’, Whishart 90+4’, Wylie 90+7’

Goals: J. McCarthy 3’, 48’, 73’

Attendance: 1,252

Player of the Match: Harvey Laidlaw