Two more goals from ace marksman Danny Bloomfield and a late header from skipper Lee Pluck gave Gary Roberts' men an unexpected but highly satisfying 3-2 win over highflying Havant and Waterlooville at the pleasant surroundings of Westleigh Park on Saturday.

Games between the two clubs usually produce their fair share of incident and this was to be no exception. City included new signing Darren Grieves in the starting line-up alongside Bloomfield in attack.

Havant's Aaron Skelton gets to grips with Lee Pluck

Both sides began brightly and it was City who carved out the first meaningful chance. In the eighth minute, Louis Riddle flicked on a header out on the left-wing and Grieves lifted the ball over the top for Bloomfield who ran virtually unchallenged into the penalty area and towards goal. His shot though was scuffed and comfortably smothered by Chris Tardif in the home goal.

Havant, although playing some accurate football in the early exchanges, had to wait until the 20th minute for their first real chance of the game, Chukki Eribenne whistling a shot way wide of the mark. City were giving as good as they were getting and stunned the home supporters by going into a 23rd minute lead. Grieves was again at the heart of the move, shielding the ball carefully from a defender before intelligently squaring it to Rob Miller who in turn played a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Riddle on the left. The winger charged into the box and thumped the ball towards the top corner. Tardif could only parry the shot and Bloomfield was instantly onto the rebound, heading it gleefully into the roof of the net.

Five minutes later, the visitors came within a whisker of doubling their advantage. Miller's left-wing corner was headed powerfully at goal by Matt Langston, but luckily for the hosts Dean Blake was on hand to clear the ball off the line. As the home spectators became a little restless, Havant upped a gear in search of an equaliser. They were rewarded soon after with their first effort on-target. Nippy David Town took advantage of a riccochet off Miller to fire the loose ball past the despairing dive of Alan Calton and into the corner of the net. The goal owed a little to good fortune, the ball taking a wicked deflection off James Taylor en-route to goal. On balance, however, it was probably no more than Havant deserved.

New signing Darren Grieves contols the ball watched by Luke Byles

Inspired by this, the home side enjoyed a purple patch. Blake tested Calton from long range but the keeper was equal to it and managed to scramble the ball around the post. On the whole it was a tightly contested first half with few fouls committed, however Craig Pope became what was to prove the only entry in the referees notebook when he was yellow-carded on the stroke of half-time for apparently not releasing the ball for a Havant free-kick.

If the first half had been pretty even, the second saw the home side attempt to impose themselves. Blake, out on the right wing, was becoming increasingly influential and created a decent opening for Havant on 53 minutes. He weaved his way past three City players, Miller, Grieves and Lewis Baillie before dinking a delightful ball across the area and onto the head of Taylor. The striker outjumped Pluck but glanced his header a foot wide to the relief of the City rearguard. Eribenne then wastefully sliced a shot wide when put clean through by Blake.

City, themselves having their fair share of possession, made the home side pay for those two missed chances by grabbing the lead again three minutes later. Baillie's long clearance upfield caused a fair amount of confusion between centre-back Aaron Skelton and Tardiff, the keeper's hesitation was punished as the predatory Bloomfield leapt across him to intercept the ball leaving the striker with the task of rolling it into the unguarded net to the delight of the travelling fans. However, the lead lasted only seven minutes. The home side won a succession of corners, the last of which was wickedly swung in by Blake and Eribenne rose majestically and largely unchallenged to power a header past Calton.

The outstanding Blake then caused further concern for the visitors, jinking inside Baillie and Riddle but firing weakly at Calton. Moments later, Skelton played the ball up the middle to Eribenne who cushioned the ball into the path of Town, he in turn side-stepped Pope before firing narrowly wide. Attention switched to the other end and with just under ten minutes remaining, Bloomfield found substitute Jamie Godbold in centre-field and he accelerated through tiring Havant legs before playing an inch perfect pass through to Miller in acres of space on the left. The industrious midfielder bore down on goal but unfortunately failed to cap a fine performance with a goal, only succeeding in shooting straight at the keeper.

Danny Bloomfield celebrates his second of the afternoon

The game now had a cuptie feel to it. Taylor shot straight at Calton when put clean through by Eribenne. Then Riddle instigated a mavellous City attack. He picked up possession deep in his own half, breezed past opposite number Blake leaving him trailing, galloped into the Havant half before clipping a delicate pass inside to Bloomfield. The striker sensed this was the matchwinning moment and cut inside Bobby Howe before arrowing a shot towards the top corner but Tardiff spoilt the party, brilliantly tipping over for a corner, and in doing so, deny Bloomfield his treble, but what a fantastic move. From the resulting corner, City took the lead for the third and last time of the afternoon and the home crowd were slienced. Skipper Lee Pluck found space to head the ball beyond Tardiff and into the net before being buried under jubilant teamates.

There were some anxious moments for City at the death, non moreso than right on time. Taylor headed the ball to Eribenne who crashed a thunderous shot off the underside of the bar, the rebound fell straight to Taylor who could only watch in agony as his follow-up was heroically saved by the sprawling Calton. A breathless end to the match and moments later the referee blew the final whistle. A fantastic result for City and a reward for enthusiasm and a sheer will to win against one of the best sides in the league.