○Andover New Street5–1Andover Town

The North Hants Cup, with respect to same, is not the most important of Competitions but when it pitches these two sides together with the added spice that Andover New Street are the holders. It’s local importance attracted an attendance in excess of two hundred to Foxcotte Park for what was a highly entertaining ninety minutes. It may be overstating the case to say the result hinged on the opening minutes of the second half – more of that later – but it certainly played a part.

Both clubs fielded nearly full strength sides and it was the visitors who started the stronger after they escaped when conceding possession in their own half and being saved by Owen Trapnell’s well timed challenge on Reece Rusher. An early Town corner saw home keeper Michael Weatherall keep out a James Ritchie header with the help of the crossbar and they should have profited from a Ben Emans cross which was rather scuffed wide of the post from close range. Reward for their pressure came in the eleventh minute when Brendan Holmes sent BEN EMANS clear on the right and his speed and control took him through a rather hesitant defence and round the keeper before rolling the ball in to an empty net. Weatherall saved a Tom Pattison shot at full stretch, Adam Pearson denied Luke Adams with a superbly timed tackle in the area and Emans was too high as the visitors exploited space on both flanks. To their credit the home side slowly worked their way back in to the game and after Shane Lock and Rusher had gone close they fashioned an equaliser ten minutes before the break. Lock made ground on the left before Ross Cook squared the ball across the area for RUSHER to beat the rather stranded Steinborne-Busse in the Andover goal. Town may have been happy to settle for equality at the break but Street made it two goals in three minutes with Cook again the provider. His clever pass sent Lee Morris in to the area, the keeper blocked the shot with his legs and SHANE LOCK was quickest to the rebound to send New Street in to the half time tea much the happier side after a half in which for a long period they were second best.

So, to the rather strange start to the second half as a home attack was halted by the corner flag with the ball going out of play. From the side lines there appeared to be no argument amongst the players but the referee embarked on an extremely lengthy conversation with his assistant before showing Andover’s Jay Jay Tucker a red card while at least one other player was cautioned. The game restarted with a throw and suggestions afterwards was that a head butt had been the cause but it was impossible to see from the far side and the lack of any reaction from the players made the whole episode rather strange. Town were now on the back foot with Emans being largely ignored as an attacking force before two goals in as many minutes midway through the half made it game over. The first was made by Lock’s through ball which found two green and black shirts just the right side of the offside flag and it was full back LEE MORRIS who coolly slotted the ball past the advancing keeper. What he was doing in that position only he will know but he finished with the skill of a born striker for his first goal for the Club. The second was sadly largely due to an error by Steinbourne-Busse. probably his first since joining the club, as he seemed rather casual in trying to claim a difficult bouncing ball, didn’t hold it, and HARRY LAWTON took advantage from close range. With five substitutes available to both sides and virtually all, if not all, used, nearly fifty per cent of the players who started the match were not on the field at the finish, and it was one of the replacements, JOSH JEFFRIES, who ended the scoring with the goal of the game. A corner was partially cleared only for the youngster to send an unstoppable shot high in to the roof of the net from some twenty yards and put the icing on the cake as far as the home side were concerned.

The sending off obviously affected the game but Town may reflect on some missed chances in the first half and no doubt missed Josh Berti at the point of their attack. New Street took their chances and moved in to the last four of the Competition. Given all that happened it was still an entertaining game played in good spirit and surely did not warrant the five or six yellow cards that were shown over the course of the evening but that too often seems par for the course nowadays.