Andover Town2–2○Downton

Andover Town and Downton played out an entertaining draw at the Portway in a game both sides would have felt they could have won. Coming in to the game off the back of two performances that summed up their season so far - sublime in the Romsey game followed by a lack of finishing in the loss to Fawley - Andover looked for redemption against the Robins who were still battling for a top 5 finish. The uncertainty caused by leagues throughout the country cancelling fixtures did not manifest itself at the Portway, regulars of both sides making appearances putting aside the concerns prevalent in the world at the moment.

The home side started the better with debutant, Dale Hind, in goal. Emans looked dangerous on the left and was playing with confidence, gliding past defenders with ease. Denis Ipeure started up front and looked lively, several times engineering a yard but only to see his efforts narrowly miss the target. Downton struggled to get any foothold on the game but surprisingly found themselves in front after 15 minutes. Adam Pattison got caught in two minds and tried to beat Diego Romero only to get the ball caught under his feet. Romero advances towards the goal and sent Hind the wrong way. 1 nil to the away side. Undeterred, Andover fought back. Tom Pattison and Ipeure again going close but Downton always looked dangerous particularly when Andover tried to overplay.

Half time - Andover Town 0-1 Downton

The home supporters expected an avalanche of pressure to start the second half but were disappointed as both sides cancelled each other out. The only noticeable efforts from Emans were one free kick from distance forced Harrison to stretch and tip his effort over the bar. Just as the crowd grew restless, Tom Pattison raced through from an Ipeure pass and when he looked to have been pushed too wide by the Downton centre back, he was able to ruffle a shot across the keeper in to the far corner to equalise with just under 20 minutes left. Andover built pressure and just as it looked they there would only be one outcome, Dalitso Mandson, looking suspiciously offside, raced through to put the visitors in front with less than 10 minutes to go. Groans of frustration were evident amongst the home supporters. Andover won a corner and, despite not looking dangerous from set pieces throughout, Adam Pattison rose to meet the ball with his head and make amends for his earlier mistake. 2-2 with minutes left. Unfortunately, several injuries in the remaining minutes killed any chance of a grandstand finish. Andover will reflect on this season knowing that they have underachieved and are a match for the top teams in this league. Downton will feel frustrated that they dropped points in their promotion push. However, at a time when there’s little cheer in the world, this game at least helped people enjoy their Saturday.