Brockenhurst 2 Petersfield Town 1: PETERSFIELD Town were edged out of this Premier Division match in the New Forest on Saturday despite their encouraging performance.

The Rams frustrated the home side for large periods of this game and looked the better side at times but the Badgers had enough about them to ensure they secured the three points.

It was a fairly open game for most of the 90 minutes with both sides having good chances to score throughout.

In the opening exchanges, Mark Barker curled in a cross from the right for the home side and keeper George Hill had to be alert to punch the ball clear before Albert Egboh arrived to head it home.

At the other end Will Essai cut inside from the left and his quick footwork created space for him to shoot from inside the penalty area but his effort went high and wide of the target.

Brockenhurst broke the deadlock after seven minutes when they broke clear down the left hand side and the ball was pulled back into the path of Matt Sheedy who had a simple tap-in to score his goal.

Five minutes later the home side almost doubled their lead when Barker got in behind the visiting defence on the right and after cutting inside into the penalty area, he hit a low shot which Hill got down to block at his near post.

Petersfield were back on level terms after 20 minutes. A ball was put in behind the home defence for Luke Walker to chase and after taking the ball into the penalty area he had his first effort blocked by keeper Matt Taylor but he got to the rebound first and turned the loose ball low into the net.

The Rams almost took the lead three minutes later when Marcus Bedford got clear on the right and as he made his way inside the penalty area he hit a shot which Taylor made a fine one-handed save from to beat the ball away.

At the other end Barker then got clear of the visiting defence again and the combination of Max Elward and Hill got touches to his shot which took the ball wide of the target.

A defensive mistake almost cost Petersfield a goal when Chris Harvey missed the chance to clear his lines. Egboh raced on to the loose ball and beat Hill with his shot but Harvey had got back behind his keeper to prevent a certain goal by blocking the shot.

Hill had to block another shot by Barker before Petersfield broke forward quickly to give Grant Powell the chance to shoot from 20 yards out but Taylor made a comfortable save.

On the stroke of half time Luke Kendall played the perfect through ball to Walker, who had only the keeper to beat as he raced clear. However, a defender managed to chase back in time to block the ball just as he was about to fire his shot off.

Petersfield looked the better side for the first 15 minutes of the second half but not turning their dominance into goals was going to cost them as the home side got what proved to be the winner on 59 minutes.

The visitors lost the ball on Brockenhurst’s left wing as they tried to move the ball out of defence and quick passing by the home side put substitute Noel McCarthy-Gardiner in space inside the box and he was unmarked when he hit a low shot into the far corner of the net.

Unfortunately for Petersfield after the home side went 2-1 up it was really only Brockenhurst who fashioned any further goalscoring chances.

A miss-placed header gave substitute Taylor Leonard the chance to fire off a shot on goal but Hill was equal to it and beat his effort away.

Sheedy then lifted a shot over the top when well placed, Hill had to race off his line to prevent McCarthy-Gardiner from latching on to a through ball and the Rams keeper held on to Cassius Newton’s stinging shot from 25 yards out.

Petersfield: Hill, Wycherley, Kershaw (Geddes), Tremlett, Harvey, Elward (Brown), Bedford, Kendall, Walker, Powell, Essai (Newman).