Petersfield Town 0 Royston Town 1: A MOMENTARY loss of concentration cost Petersfield a potential share of the points against league leaders Royston Town on Saturday.

The visitors may have dominated the play for long periods but they couldn’t find a way past a home side ravaged by injuries - apart from when they scored the only goal of the game on 23 minutes.

Such was the injury crisis in the Rams’ camp, four debuts were handed out to players. Chris Harvey and Michael Newman made their full first team debuts, while Oliver Sturt and Max Smith got their first taste of Southern League action off the bench.

Petersfield also had to switch their starting keeper at the last minute when Matthew Petts couldn’t overcome an injury he was carrying during the warm up and George Hill took his place.

The visitors got their noses in front with the first chance of any note on goal. Up until this point Petersfield had comfortably dealt with any attacks thrown their way.

A cross was half cleared to the edge of the penalty area but picked up on the left hand side and crossed back into the middle. Unfortunately the Petersfield defence was caught napping and John Frendo was left completely unmarked in front of goal and he headed the ball into the net.

On 39 minutes Frendo got clear down the right and looped a cross to the left hand side of the penalty area. Kaan Fehmi got on the end of the cross and his first time shot flew just past the target.

Four minutes later the visitors went close again when a cross from the left was initially blocked but when the ball was played back into the box Frendo fired off a shot which went wide.

Frendo went close again moments later when he broke away from the defence and flicked the ball past Hill but his effort dropped wide.

Petersfield had their first chance of the match in injury time when they won a corner on the right and when the ball was crossed in, Harvey appeared to lose his bearings as he flicked his header wide rather than placing it straight on the target.

Nine minutes into the second half Petersfield won a free kick 25 yards out from goal. Dan Simmonds curled his shot around the defensive wall but his effort went wide of the post.

Three minutes later Royston had a corner on the left which Dan Brathwaite flicked on at the near post and the ball had to be hacked clear off the line.

On 62 minutes Ryan Towner received the ball from a throw in on the left and drove 50 yards up the pitch, taking the ball into the penalty before unleashing a shot which Hill had to push away from the goal.

How the visitors didn’t double their lead with four minutes remaining we will never know. Towner picked up the ball on the edge of the penalty area and flicked it past two defenders to find himself six yards out with only Hill to beat.

However, he blasted his shot against his own team mate Frendo, the ball flew towards the goal but ricocheted back off of Hill towards the Royston striker at some speed and the ball hit him and went out for a goal kick.

Petersfield: Hill, Searle, Buckland, Cripps, Woodford, Harvey, Miroy, Wedlake (Corsaro), Judd (Sturt), Simmonds, Newman (M Smith). Subs not used: Kendall, Petts.