AFC ASCOT had goalkeeper Andrew Stringer to thank for their hard-fought 3-1 victory against rivals Bracknell Rovers in East Berkshire League Division Two on Saturday.

The hosts had to withstand a severe amount of pressure against their illustrious opponents, but Stringer stood firm in the AFC net, pulling off several fine stops to earn his team an unexpected victory.

It was Ascot who took the lead in the first half when Matt Panton latched on to Alex Fettes' flick-on and lifted the ball over the on-rushing keeper.

AFC then produced the kind of performance in the second half that has come to define the team in recent weeks, absorbing pressure and striking swiftly on the counter-attack.

A Jon Manuel free-kick deep into the box found the head of Brett McChesney, who beat the keeper from six yards to give Ascot a 2-0 lead.

Rovers battled hard to find a way back into the match, only to be denied by the superb Stringer.

The Ascot goalkeeper pulled off a number of saves to keep his side ahead, most notably diving full stretch to tip a powerful header from George Lloyd over the bar.

Panton almost made it 3-0 with a free-kick that struck the woodwork before Rovers eventually halved the deficit through Alex Lumley.

But Ascot sealed victory on the counter-attack when Panton fed in Fettes and he finished well past the goalkeeper.

Ascot now take on Hambledon Reserves in the first round of the Norfolkian Cup this Saturday.