Petersfield Town 1 Winchester City 3: PETERSFIELD Town crashed out of the FA Trophy thanks to a Warren Bentley hat-trick at Love Lane on Saturday.

It was a fairly evenly matched encounter for the first 20 minutes or so but once the Winchester striker scored twice in two minutes towards the end of the first half, the result was never in doubt and the Rams could have few complaints about the final outcome.

Winchester went close to taking the lead after only three minutes when Jamie Barrow latched on to a cross at the far post but keeper Anthony Ender got down well to turn his low shot behind for a corner.

The home side then went close to scoring on two occasions. The ball was played up into the box and Alek Przespolewski sent in a low cross across the face of the goal and Alex Lowley got to it first but scooped his effort over the crossbar.

Howard Neighbour was then sent clear on the left hand side of the penalty area but his low shot was well saved by keeper Brendon Norris.

At the other end Jamie Ford headed against his own post while trying to clear a Winchester attack and Ender did well to block Bentley’s shot with his legs after the striker had worked himself plenty of space.

Winchester went close again on 33 minutes with the best move of the match so far. Their quick passing on the edge of the box was looking increasingly likely to unlock the Petersfield defence and Bentley again found himself in space. He drew Ender off his line and then shot low across the face of the goal, narrowly missing the far corner of the target.

Who scored the first goal was going to be crucial in deciding who would go on to take the victory in this game and it was the visitors who broke the deadlock on 37 minutes.

Quick passing and movement again unlocked the home defence and as Adam Roberts burst clear Joe Richardson’s mistimed tackle sent him tumbling in the penalty area. Bentley made no mistake with his penalty.

Winchester doubled their lead two minutes later when a cross from the left found Bentley unmarked on the edge of the six yard box and although Ender got a hand to his shot he could only help it on its way into the net.

The visitors then had a goal disallowed for offside when Dan Cann headed home a cross from the left.

Not even Winchester being reduced to ten men could sway the game in Petersfield’s favour during the second half.

Roberts was shown a straight red card on the hour mark for what looked like a bad two footed challenge on Sean Wain. The Petersfield defender had just cleared the ball when the tackle came in on him – he was fortunate there was not much power in the challenge in terms of avoiding any serious injury.

Any chance of a Petersfield comeback came and went when Joe Briggs crossed from the right to the far post and Lowley headed the ball back across goal. Neighbour turned and then shot towards goal but Norris threw himself to his left to keep the effort out with a spectacular save.

The visitors then made it 3-0 on 69 minutes when Bentley completed his hat-trick when he tucked away a cross from the right from close range.

Bentley then burst into the penalty area again and rode a couple of challenges before the Petersfield defence stopped his run. Matt Benham fired the loose ball through a crowd of players but his effort went straight at Ender.

On 76 minutes a corner from the left was flicked on into the path of Neighbour and he stretched out a leg to turn the ball goalwards but his effort hit the crossbar. Briggs then played the ball inside to Harry Wedlake on the edge of the penalty area and his rising shot went just over the target.

The Rams got a consolation goal in the 90thminute when substitute Calvin Moses got clear of the midfield and played the ball into the path of fellow substitute Jordan Neal, whose low shot squirmed through the hands of Norris and rolled into the net.

Petersfield: Ender, O Searle, Wain, Wedlake, Hyde, Ford, Richardson, Przespolewski, Neighbour, Briggs (Moses), Lowley (Neal). Subs not used: Sackman, Read, Thompson.