JUSTIN Bennett maintained his happy scoring knack to the very end as he called time on his stay at Gosport Borough last night.

The former Andover and Eastleigh marksman scored twice as Borough lifted the Russell Cotes Cup for the fourth time with a 2-1 win at AFC Portchester.

The brace took Gosport’s all-time leading scorer to a magnificent tally of 263 in his nine years at Privett Park.

Small wonder that manager Alex Pike said afterwards: “He will be a big miss for us. He showed again how deadly he can be.”

Having been teed up by Dan Wooden for Borough’s 22nd-minute opener, Bennett struck again following a corner shortly before half-time.

Portchester gave themselves hope when Joe Bye lifted the ball over the top for Jason Parish to run onto and score, but Graham Rix’s Wessex underdogs could not muster an equaliser.

Gosport finished ninth in the National League South, but it could all have ended so differently had the club’s financial problems not undermined their push for the play-offs.

Lifting the Russell Cotes Cup offered some sort of consolation with Pike admitting: “It has been a horrid last two-and-a-half months for us, so it's nice to sign off with a win.”

National League South new boys Poole Town and promoted Sydenhams Premier champions Salisbury are believed to be leading the race for Bennett's signature.