Andover Town 5 Petersfield Town 3: EXHILARATING, enthralling, tense and deep frustration – the emotions of watching Petersfield Town all in one afternoon.

For the neutrals this was a great advertisement for non-league football – eight goals, free kicks that would be replayed again and again if this was a Premier League game, excitement and drama in abundance and two sides playing the way the game should be played despite the pitch cutting up due to the damp conditions.

If you follow the Rams though you were left tearing your hair out – firstly at the joy of going 2-0 up and then 3-2 up before half time but then at the nature of some of the goals conceded and the league leaders eventually running out winners in the closing stages.

Petersfield should have got something from this game – they led twice and scored three times away from home – but ultimately poor defending as a team cost them points as it has done on so many occasions this season.

Going forward they were excellent. New signing Danny Thompson’s experience added strength to the midfield, who produced many good passing moves during the game to set Billy Connor marauding forward – his pace when he got in behind them terrorised the home defence for much of the afternoon.

And Petersfield had the free kick precision of Luke Kendall to call on too. After surviving an early scare when keeper Luke Eaton had to beat away a low shot from former Ram Jason Silver, the visitors’ free kick expert fired them in front on 11 minutes.

Connor was brought down on the edge of the penalty area and Kendall fired his free kick from 20 yards out over the wall and into the bottom corner of the net, with home keeper Luke Cairney rooted to the spot.

Petersfield’s sensational start to the game got even better six minutes later when they doubled their lead. Connor again scampered clear, this time down the right after good build up play in midfield, and as he cut inside into the penalty area he was brought down by a defender.

Kendall took the penalty and buried his spot kick into the bottom corner of the net.

The league leaders had been rattled but they had an air about them that they believed they would still come through and win the game despite these early setbacks.

Petersfield were doing all they could to repel the home attacks and after good build up play saw the ball crossed into their box, a Rams defender slid in to block the ball and diverted it towards his own goal but Eaton was alert to the danger and got down quickly to push the ball around the post.

Andover pulled a goal back on 26 minutes when a free kick from the left was only partially cleared by the visiting defence. It rolled into the path of Luke Dempsey who stroked the ball home from close range.

Petersfield should have restored their two goal advantage nine minutes later when they broke forward down the left. Will Essai’s cross to the far post found Gavin Keogh, whose first touch took the ball past his marker and his attempt to curl his shot into the far corner went agonisingly just inches wide of the goal.

Eaton had to be alert again to keep out a shot from Silver – this time the Andover man tried to curl in a shot from the edge of the box but the Petersfield keeper made a comfortable save.

However, Andover drew level on 40 minutes when George Hallahan got in front of his marker to divert a low cross from the left into the far corner of the net with a diving header.

Two minutes later Petersfield almost snatched the lead immediately back when Ed Plackett tried his luck from the edge of the box and his curling shot was heading for the top corner of the net until Cairney’s fine one handed save diverted the ball behind for a corner.

The visitors did go back in front a minute before half time after Connor was again brought down as he looked to break clear of the home defence near the edge of the box. In almost a carbon copy of his first goal, Kendall fired home an unstoppable free kick from 25 yards out down the keeper’s right hand side again to complete his hat-trick.

Andover drew level again barely a minute into the second half. A cross from the right was not dealt with and it was turned back across goal from the far post and Hallahan was on hand to slide in on the ball on the edge of the six yard box to divert it into the roof of the net.

The home side had the majority of the chances during the second half but the tension grew as time ticked on and they hadn’t converted those efforts into goals.

Hallahan shot across the face of goal from close in and Silver curled an effort just over the top after cutting inside on the edge of the penalty area.

Silver had another chance but his rising effort flew over the crossbar and substitute Harrison Gilkes, whose pace caused Petersfield an extra headache when he came on, worked himself the space to cross to the far post where Ben Cook slid in but he put his effort into the side netting.

Andover went close again on 73 minutes when Eaton’s punch clear from a corner landed on the head of Dempsey 12 yards out but he guided the ball just over the crossbar.

The home side took the lead for the first time in spectacular fashion six minutes later after Petersfield had allowed Andover to take the ball forward too easily from their own half.

Andover won a free kick at least 30 yards from goal and Michael Gosney fired home what can only be described as the perfect free kick – he fired his effort over the defensive wall and on to the underside of the crossbar and it then bounced into the net.

Gilkes’ pace almost brought a fifth Andover goal three minutes later when he picked up the ball in the right hand side of the penalty area but Eaton blocked his effort at his near post.

The home side made sure they would claim all three points with three minutes remaining when a low cross from the right was not dealt with by the visiting defence and substitute Zach Glasspool had the time and space to knock the ball home from close range.

It almost got worse for Petersfield when Silver latched on to a long clearance down the right. His cross to the far post was met by Gilkes and Eaton had to beat away his shot on goal.

Petersfield: Eaton, Plackett, Kershaw, Tremlett, Kennedy, Geddes, Keogh (Fagelman), Thompson (Tayler), Connor, Kendall, W Essai (Hughes). Subs not used: Collins, Evans.