Andover Town3–3○Bashley

This was the second time in four days that Andover Town had met a Premier Division side in a Cup Competition and again they came out on top, albeit by the smallest possible margin, to move in to the Third Round of the Wessex League Cup. Bashley were the visitors and the New Forest side played their full part in a highly entertaining ninety minutes and may feel they did enough overall to have won the game, a game that ended with an extremely tense and almost explosive final five minutes.

Andover found the back of the net in the opening two minutes but the offside flag cut short the celebrations before Bashley’s first threat came with some help from one of the Assistants as Ollie Bradley was allowed to continue despite the ball at one point being some two feet out of play. Bashley utilised the pace of their wide men by good use of the long ball and home keeper Jordan Brooks had to leave his area to deny Bue Bennett with a tackle worthy of any defender. Josh Bertie was bought down on the edge of the area but the free kick was too high and at the other end Harry Bunce suffered the same fate when he met a cross at the far post. A neat pass from Brendan Holmes allowed Adam Pattison to cross with the visiting defence surviving a lengthy goalmouth scramble. Bradley, a constant source of menace on the Bashley left flank all evening, created space for himself but pulled the ball across the goal and the offside flag came to the home side’s rescue before the breakthrough came on forty minutes with a picture goal as Holmes threaded the ball inside the full back and Pattison’s low cross was turned in at the far post by JOSH BERTIE. The lead however lasted barely a minute as TOMMY LEE HIGGS shrugged off a couple of challenges and coolly beat the advancing Brooks and ensured it was all square at the break.

Town posed the first threat on the restart with a looping header from Berti hitting the top of the crossbar and the game continued as in the first half with both sides trying to play football at all times and play very much end to end, and it was something of a surprise that the midway point of the half was reached before the next goal. Waledin Ahmed found space on the Andover left and chipped the ball to the far post, a defender completely miscued his attempted clearance and DAVID GERRARD lifted the ball inside the post from close range. Both sides had numerous chances and both kept pressing forward with Bashley finally gaining some reward with three minutes of normal time remaining as LEWIS ROSS was unfairly halted on the edge of the area, picked himself up and fired the free kick high in to the net to bring the scores level - and thoughts of a penalty shoot out. Andover however had other ideas and as the clock reached ninety minutes a Ben Emans cross was headed into BRENDAN HOLMES path and the home skipper made no mistake from some fifteen yards. With both sides having used all their substitutes there was bound to be stoppage time and two minutes in to same a long throw from the Bashley left was not cleared and an acrobatic overhead kick from HARRY BUNCE levelled the scores again and that, coupled with the final whistle, ensured there would be a penalty shoot out. Bashley went first and Brooks saved their third penalty out of four whilst Andover scored their first four. The visitors had to score the fifth to stay in the game – but sadly for them the kick was too high and Andover had earned themselves a trip to Shaftesbury in the next round. Both sides are to be congratulated on the evening but Bashley may be considering how they failed to capitalise on the skill and pace of Bunce and Bradley, while Andover can look back on a very successful four days as their season gains momentum.