PETERSFIELD Town manager Mark Summerhill praised his side after their vital win against Fawley on Saturday afternoon.

The Rams ran out 3-1 winners at Love Lane to move a step closer to securing their survival in Division 1 of the Sydenhams Wessex League.

The three points took Petersfield up to 14th place in the table, and Summerhill was delighted with his side’s display in difficult conditions.

“Those were probably the worst conditions we’ve played in,” said Summerhill.

“We decided to go down the slope with the wind in the first half and make the best of it. We needed to get a one or two-goal lead, and we managed to get one.

“In the second half our defending at the bottom of the slope was absolutely first class, and Jacob Orr was superb in goal. Fawley kept drilling the ball in behind us with the wind, and quite often the ball ran out of play.

“In the first half we still tried to play and get it wide.

“Will Essai was a real threat and Matt Rowland was a constant thorn for Fawley with his pace.

“Once we got the second and third goals the confidence flowed through the team.”

Summerhill was also pleased with the togetherness his side showed.

He said: “We’ve got a small squad but we’re quite adaptable. The spirit is great and we’ve stuck together.

“The whole team battled through the conditions. I was so proud of every one of them. They stuck at it to get a great result.”