Andover Town6–1○Hamble Club

Andover Town went to the top of the Wessex Premier League with Tuesday’s exhilarating win against an experienced Hamble Club side. This was an outstanding team performance typified by man of the match Mike Gosney who had an involvement in four of the goals. In front of another two hundred plus crowd Hamble were marginally the better side in the first half. However, having scored on the stroke of half time Andover started the second half with all guns blazing scoring another five with the last four arriving within the space of seventeen incredible minutes.

The visitors had more possession in the first half but solid defending by Andover ensured that few real chances were being created.It was a similar situation at the other end. The first incident of any note came after twenty m minutes play. Gosney went clear and as he slipped the ball through to Zach Glasspool he was hauled down. Three minutes then elapsed as the Referee sought to identify the culprit and eventually deciding to show Richard Bull a yellow card. Alex Dockree’s subsequent free kick went round the wall but the wrong side of the post leaving the Town faithful to wonder if it would have been better if the match official had played the advantage in the first instance. In time added on at the end of the first half the deadlock was finally broken.Wide on the Andover right Liam Hibberd lost and then won back the ball threading it among the line to Jason Silver whose cross was perfectly timed for George Hallahan to plant an unstoppable volley into the net.

Half time - Andover Town 1-0 Hamble Club

Once the second half got underway Andover went into attack mode as Gosney whipped in a cross that Silver was just inches away from converting. That was soon forgotten as shortly after a sublime move involving Silver, Dockree and Gosney ended when Zach Glasspool put away the inevitable pinpoint cross. Hamble were playing their part in what was becoming an absorbing match and just past the hour mark Dougie Rowe scored from close range to confirm that the match was far from over. However Andover were arguably playing their best football of the season so far and Silver proved the point skimming the bar after an intricate passing move. Twenty minutes were left when the match finally turned Andover’s way. They were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area and a couple of yards inside the goal line and Gosney’s kick was diverted into his own net by Danny Cox. Three minutes later Silver again provided the assist as George Hallahan fired in his second goal of the night. Hamble’s response was to send in a couple of efforts that were way off target and two further goals by Zach Glasspool and Michael Hubberd, both assisted by Michael Gosney rubber stamped Andover’s emphatic twelfth victory of the season.