George Porter scored a dramatic 91st-minute winner as Dulwich Hamlet came from behind in the final six minutes to defeat Havant & Waterlooville 2-1 at a jubilant Champion Hill on Saturday.
Forward Hamlet Muhammadu Faal forward gave ten-man Havant the lead in the 59th minute and had it stayed like that Hakan Hayrettn’s Dulwich would have dropped into the National League South relegation places.
But Johl Powell equalised in the 84th minute and then Porter struck to send the majority of the 2,456 in attendance in East Dulwich wild.
The visitors had been reduced to ten men with just sixteen minutes gone after two bookings in four minutes for Joe Newton.
The Hawks, though, are chasing promotion and were 25 points ahead of the Hamlet before kick-off, and they proved a tough nut to crack.
On 35 minutes, Danny Mills was played through one-on-one only to be denied by Josh Passley’s last-ditch tackle.
Goalkeeper Charlie Grainger came to Dulwich’s rescue two minutes into stoppage-time when he produced a brilliant save to keep out Jake McCarthy’s deflected effort.
A minute later, Passley again kept out Mills, this time clearing his attempt off the line.
Dulwich fell behind fourteen minutes after the break when Havant countered and Ethan Burnett set up Faal to finish.
The hosts finally made the breakthrough with six minutes left when goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe’s clearance fell to substitute Powell who fired home from long range.
Porter was denied by the woodwork on 88 minutes but took his next chance three minutes later when he found the bottom corner after a long ball into the box.
Dulwich are two points above the relegation zone ahead of their trip to Bath City on Tuesday night.