Petersfield Town 1 Winchester City 3 (after extra time): PETERSFIELD’S former players and coaching staff in the Winchester camp had the last laugh in this FA Trophy Preliminary Round replay on Tuesday night.

They poured extra salt on to Rams wounds when two former players from Love Lane scored for the visitors to take them through to the next round and an away tie at Fleet Town.

At half time it looked like a completely different outcome was going to happen as Petersfield were the better side in the opening 45 minutes and deservedly led 1-0 at the interval.

Their battling spirit and strong defending prevented the visitors from getting a hold on the game although Sam Wilson put his header agonisingly wide of the post when he met a cross from the left after only four minutes.

The Rams responded four minutes later when a good move saw Harry Wedlake play the ball on to Gari Judd, who knocked it on into the path of Dan Simmonds inside the penalty area but he couldn’t get any power behind his shot.

Petersfield were putting together some quick movement play in midfield and one such move put them in front on 19 minutes. Good build up play in the centre allowed Wedlake to play the perfect slide rule pass to Judd on the left hand side of the penalty area and his shot flew into the far top corner of the net.

On 33 minutes Howard Neighbour fired in a free kick from 25 yards out and although it had Petersfield keeper Matthew Petts throwing himself full length across his line, the shot went just wide of the post.

Another flowing Rams move deserved a goal when Alex Miroy went clear down the right, his pass inside was allowed to roll into the path of Wedlake but his final effort lacked any power and he found the hands of keeper Lewis Noice.

At the start of the second half Winchester rode their luck again when Noice just beat Simmonds to a ball lifted over the visiting defence and moments later Wedlake put Simmonds clear again but his shot from the left hand side of the penalty area was pushed away from goal by Noice.

After these efforts the visitors started to work their way back into the game and they grabbed an equaliser after 66 minutes. Winchester worked the ball forward and a cross was hung up high from the left, and former Petersfield player Joe Briggs got underneath it and as he started to fall away from the ball he hit a shot which beat Petts and found the back of the net.

The direction of where this game was heading seemed to change on that goal. The visitors’ tails were up and on 70 minutes Adam Tomasso surged forward from the right back position to hit a shot from 25 yards out which moved away from Petts and forced the keeper to dive full stretch to turn the effort around the post.

On 78 minutes Briggs crossed from the right straight on to the head of former Rams striker Howard Neighbour, who put his header just over the top, and five minutes later Briggs was sent racing clear on the right and he almost caught Petts out with an inswinging cross but the Rams stopper did enough to push it away for a corner.

Petersfield held on to take the game into extra time but their resolve was finally broken three minutes into the first period of this when a corner came in from the right and it was not cleared by the home defence. It dropped invitingly in front of goal for Wilson, who reacted quickest to be able to slam his shot into the roof of the net.

Petersfield’s final hope of getting back on level terms came in the 100th minute when a long clearance allowed them to break forward and Simmonds met the ball as it dropped inside the Winchester penalty area but he diverted the ball with his head wide of the target.

Petts came to Petersfield’s rescue again when a deep cross from the right took a deflection. The Rams keeper managed to push the ball away from going over the line and Wilson couldn’t turn the rebound in at the far post.

Winchester ensured their progression into the next round of the competition on 104 minutes when a corner from Briggs on the left was drilled into the near post and it found the head of another former Ram, Jamie Ford, and his flick on diverted the ball into the far corner of the net.

The final chance of the game fell to Petersfield in the second half of extra time. A free kick from 25 yards out was fired through the Winchester wall and Noice managed to keep the ball out. It bounced invitingly inside the six yard box but no one was there from the home side to convert what would have been an easy chance on goal.

Petersfield: Petts, Searle, Graham (Smith), Cripps, Benjamin, Geddes, Wedlake (Needham), Giles, Judd, Simmonds, Miroy (Corsaro). Sub not used: Hill.