Andover Town0–1○Bemerton Heath Harlequins

Andover Town suffered a third straight loss against local rivals, Bemerton Heath Harlequins, in a match that was decided by one moment of magic. After the disappointment of Saturday's loss to Newport, Andover made a host of changes. Some were enforced due to injuries whilst others were tactical. In came Dease Kerrison, Ethan Madden, MacAulie Stubbs, Tom Pattison, Aidan Radford and debutant Luke Adams. Adam Pattison and George Baxter missed out due to injury whilst Watt Jones, Josh Hewson and Howard Nhemachena were all unavailable.

The early exchanges saw both teams evenly matched with Andover looking to move the ball on the floor whilst Bemerton were more direct looking for the experienced Former Andover striker, Justin Bennett. Neither side had any chances of note before Cameron Roach came up with one piece of brilliance. The ball dropped to his feet 25 yards out and he hit a speculative strike that went over Kerrison in the Andover goal and dipped under the bar. Supporters from both sides could do little more than to applaud a wonderful strike. That did little to knock off of their play and they had the best. Handed of the first half. Luke Adams beat his marker only to see his effort slam against the post. Ethan Madden headed over from a corner before Bennett had a chance from a Bemerton corner. The visitors looked to get in behind the high Andover line but, led superbly by MacAulie Stubbs, on his long awaited return to senior football, they were unable to carve any chances of note. However, they went in at the break 1-0 up with spectators looking forward to a breathtaking second half.

Half-time - Andover Town 0-1 Bemerton Heath Harlequins

When the teams returned to the field of play, the flow of the game never picked up. A series of fouls and the failure of the match officials to speed up the game saw a disjointed second 45 minutes. The only entertainment being provided by some squabbles on the pitch. However, as the game approached the final 10 minutes Andover began to pile on the pressure. Callum Sweeney, again excelling, created several half chances for himself. Ben Emans flashed a shot wide as did Brad Waters right at the death. This final effort led the referee to bring the match to a close. Bemerton relieved at the result, Andover disappointed at the outcome but positive that this was a step back to the form they were in prior to lockdown. Saturday's visit to Petersfield now resembles a must win game if they are to ensure the teams above them don’t start pulling away from them.