Andover Town 4 Petersfield Town 5: WITH several first team regulars unavailable, Petersfield manager Mark Summerhill was forced to make team changes for the Sydenhams Wessex League Division 1 visit to struggling Andover Town last Saturday.
Despite the enforced changes, the Rams got off to an incredibly fast start, going 3-0 up inside the first ten minutes.
Jordan Neal opened the scoring with a second minute header and, in the sixth minute, Callum Coker’s shot went in off the post. In the ninth minute, Jon Byerley headed home.
Shell-shocked Andover tried to rally and came more into the game but it was the Rams who scored next through a 20th-minute close range shot from Coker.
The hosts did pull one back before half time when Josh Bertie’s 35th minute shot took a bad bounce to go in off keeper Tim Jackson.
Andover started the second half well but when Harry Giles headed home Jake Bourton’s cross in the 56th minute to make the score 5-1, the points looked to be in the bag for Petersfield.
To their credit, Andover kept plugging away and reduced the deficit in the 71st minute through Josh Bertie, and, a minute later, through Jordan Ragguette.
When Ragguette made it 5-4 in the 86th minute, the visitors started to fear they would return home without all three points, but they managed to hold out to secure a valuable victory.