Whitchurch collected all three points at a cold Hurn Bridge on Saturday, a result that kept them in the top six but did little to ease the home side’s relegation worries.

As is too often the case for all clubs at this stage of the season, manager Carl Bennett had to shuffle his resources again with Adam Pearson, Josh Green, Chris Manning and Taurean Maunders unavailable, Josh Harfield still not 100 per cent fit and Jamie Mansell having decided that the grass is greener in the Hampshire Premier League.

This meant a debut for Basingstoke youngster Macaulie Stubbs at full back while another new signing, Jordan Parker, was on the bench.

Both sides showed a willingness to go forward with a Jack McCarthy free-kick too long at one end and former Andover Town youngster Callum Cuniffe-Pilley lobbing both goalkeeper and bar at the other after fastening on to a through ball.

A Tom Lockyer shot was deflected wide but though Christchurch, playing down the slope, were enjoying more of the game neither side could conjure any real threat on goal.

Matt Vining’s finish was weak and a promising Cuniffe-Pilley run was stopped by Scott Hassall at the expense of a caution, though that transpired to be only part punishment as Mark Smith’s resulting free-kick was headed home by veteran Gareth Barnes at the far post.

The lead lasted only three minutes as the visitors drew level on the half hour.

Danny Phillips saw a shot blocked and half cleared only for Hassall to find Lockyer on the left with a crossfield ball and the midfielder fired across keeper Dan Fawcett and into the bottom corner.

The second half started with two chances and what was eventually to be the deciding goal in the space of the opening five minutes.

There were barely 20 seconds played when Fawcett blocked a Matt Austin shot with his legs and after the home side had seen strong appeals for a penalty turned down Barnes was wide when totally unmarked at the far post.

Almost immediately Austin turned a long goal kick into Phillips’s path and the striker showed neat control and finishing to slide the ball past the advancing goalkeeper.

The same player was just too high with a snapshot on the turn and Vining suffered the same fate at the other end before Snelling acrobatically turned away a Nathan Saxby pile driver from 30 yards.

Smith, involved all the time for the home side, produced a dangerous right wing cross but there were no blue and white shirts in the box and as the substitutes arrived like the cavalry Cole Hinchliffe was high with a header for the visitors.

Marcus Cullen showed persistence on the right but the cross was too close to Snelling who brought the game to a close by denying Barnes at close range.