Petersfield Town 4 Amesbury Town 1: IT TOOK them 273 days and 28 games to do it but Petersfield Town have finally notched up a league victory.

The last three points earned in the league came at Aylesbury on November 12, 2016, and for the last home win in the league you have to go back 28 matches at Love Lane to the shock triumph over Farnborough on August 9, 2016.

Victories won’t taste much sweeter than this one though for the Rams as it broke those two horrendous win-less runs, manager Jim Macey got one over one of his old clubs and his current side battled back from a goal down and being on the wrong side of a controversial refereeing decision in the first half.

Luke Walker had the first chance of the match on nine minutes when he tried his luck from 25 yards out but Amesbury keeper Paddy Crease comfortably saved his effort as he fell to his left.

Three minutes later brought an incident which should have handed a key advantage for the remainder of the game to Petersfield when Walker latched on to a through ball and only had the keeper to beat between himself and the goal.

Crease raced 30 yards off his goal line and when Walker dinked the ball past him the keeper clearly took the Rams forward out as he looked to go on and roll the ball into an empty net. To the shock of the majority of people inside the ground, Crease escaped with only a yellow card when it clearly looked like a red card offence as he was the last man between the ball and the goal.

The momentum of the game seemed to change with that decision and Amesbury looked the more threatening side when they attacked.

On 17 minutes the ball was flicked inside the penalty area after good work down the right and although Jordan Matthews’ header beat keeper Jarid Hixon, there was defensive cover on the line and the ball was hacked away to safety.

The Rams were nearly caught out completely by a through ball played straight down the middle of the pitch. Kiran Stephens latched on to it but fired his shot wide of the target.

The visitors got their noses in front on 33 minutes when the ball was crossed in from the left and Harry Beckley hit a shot which beat Hixon and found the back of the net.

Petersfield almost found an equaliser six minutes later when Olly Kershaw’s cross from the left was flicked on by Walker and Will Essai fired off a shot from the far post which just missed the opposite corner of the net.

The Rams’ faithful may have had that familiar sinking feeling that another defeat was on the way at the interval but what followed was a stunning 45 minute performance which blew away the visitors.

Petersfield drew level just three minutes after the re-start. Marcus Bedford had already gone close to scoring before a ball was played through the middle of the Amesbury defence and the youngster got to it to tuck the ball into the net from close range.

Bedford went close again after his goal when he picked up the ball just inside the penalty area and he tried to lift his shot into the far corner of the net but it dropped wide. Then a cross from the left was partially blocked by Amesbury and Will Essai tried to guide his shot into the bottom corner of the net but his effort was blocked.

Crease was being kept very busy in the visiting goal. First Walker got clear and found Essai and the Amesbury keeper had to parry his shot away from the goal and then Petersfield swept forward again and he was alert enough to deny Ryan Kennedy a goal.

Kennedy was denied again by Crease before another flowing move by the home side eventually saw the ball played up to Harry Giles and his attempt to finish off the move saw him shoot straight at the keeper.

Substitute Luke Greenway gave Petersfield’s defence a warning that they needed to stay on their toes when he shot over when well placed but the Rams eventually took the lead on 66 minutes.

A quick throw in from the left saw Walker put clear behind the Amesbury defence and his low shot beat Crease at his near post.

It was 3-1 just a minute later when more pressure by Petersfield saw a loose ball drop to Joe Boxall 25 yards from goal. The young substitute calmly lifted an exquisite chip over the stranded keeper and the ball dropped into the net.

At the other end Amesbury went close again on 75 minutes when Matthews met a cross from the left and Hixon had to turn his header around the post and another cross from the left saw substitute Cameron George head over the top.

Bedford had another opportunity with four minutes remaining to stretch Petersfield’s lead when he picked up the ball on the right hand edge of the penalty area and his shot on the turn went just wide.

The final goal of the game came in the fifth minute of injury time when Giles picked up the ball on the right hand edge of the penalty area and as he turned inside his marker he was brought down. The midfielder picked himself up to send Crease diving the wrong way with his well placed spot kick.

Petersfield: Hixon, Elward (Tremlett), Kershaw, Kennedy, Boggild (Harvey), Brown, Powell (Boxall), Giles, Bedford, Walker, Essai. Subs not used: Geddes, Hill.