Petersfield Town 0 Royston Town 4: THEY don’t have many of them but this was a very bad day at the office for Petersfield Town at Love Lane on Saturday.

Royston romped to a comfortable victory thanks to two goals in each half and the Rams strangely had no reply to this and struggled to get any sort of game going at all.

For exponents of the long ball game, you would have enjoyed the way the visitors executed this often berated style of play. It was direct but extremely effective throughout the game.

Petersfield just didn’t have any answer to it – the direct style of their opponents won out over the Rams’ more creative, passing style of play which they only produced in small spells during the match.

Royston had the first chance of the afternoon on 11 minutes when after several crosses into the box the ball fell to Rhys Hoenes on the edge of the penalty area but he shot straight at keeper Anthony Ender.

Four minutes later Petersfield had what proved to be a rare opportunity to score when Sean Wain found space on the left and his cross found Harry Wedlake on the edge of the box but he screwed his shot well wide.

The visitors took the lead on 24 minutes when a cross from the right following good build up play was headed straight to the feet of Scott Bridges and he slammed his shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Four minutes later it should have been 2-0 when another cross from the right was kept in play by Ryan Ingrey and Rob Mason had a free header from four yards out but put his effort wide of the post.

Ingrey then tried his luck from 25 yards out after Petersfield’s play broke down in midfield but his rising shot went just over the crossbar.

Royston doubled their lead on 33 minutes when a free kick from the left was curled into the box and Liam McDevitt ran through to thump his header into the net.

Petersfield rallied slightly before half time. On 35 minutes a deep cross from the left found Ryan Woodford in space at the far post but he put his shot well wide.

Five minutes later Alek Przespolewski curled a free kick from 20 yards out around the defensive wall but his shot went well wide of the target.

Things didn’t get any better for Petersfield in the second half when Royston stretched their lead further on 53 minutes after making a strong start to the half.

Good build up play on the right saw the ball worked along the edge of the box and eventually a pass found substitute Luke Robins, who had the time to shoot past Ender into the corner of the net.

The scoring was completed on 68 minutes when more good play on the right saw the ball crossed into the near post and Robins beat everyone to the ball to slam his shot into the roof of the net.

The closest Petersfield came to getting on the scoresheet in the second half came with 11 minutes remaining. A corner from the right found Dan Sackman on the edge of the penalty area but his goalbound shot was deflected wide of the target.

Petersfield: Ender, O Searle, Wain (Flanighan), Woodford (McEnery), Sackman, Hyde, Wedlake (Read), Przespolewski, Dixon, Richardson, Green. Subs not used: Taylor, Thompson.