Petersfield Town 2 Andover Town 2 (Petersfield won 7-6 on penalties): PETERSFIELD Town ripped up the form book to beat Andover Town in this Sydenhams Wessex League Cup second round tie on Tuesday night.

The visitors had made an unbeaten start to their league campaign and are widely tipped as possible Premier Division title contenders.

However, the Rams battled back from being 2-0 at half time in what were appalling weather conditions at Love Lane and they eventually won the cup tie via a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

The opening exchanges were fairly even with both sides creating chances as they looked to break the deadlock.

On 20 minutes, Mike Gosney curled a wind assisted free kick towards the top corner of the goal but keeper Matt Shortt made a fine one handed save to push the ball over the crossbar.

From the resulting corner, the ball was cleared to Reece Rusher on the edge of the area and his curling and swerving shot dropped just wide of the target.

At the other end, Luke Walker received the ball 25 yards out and fizzed a shot towards goal which went just wide of the post.

The visitors took the lead on 33 minutes when Alex Dockree found space at the near post and got in front of Shortt to head home a corner from the left.

Andover got their second goal five minutes later. A shot was blocked following a cross into the penalty area from the left but the ball eventually rolled towards the far post area and Eduardo Jimenez knocked the ball into the net from close range.

The driving wind and rain seemed to worsen in the second half but with those conditions blowing towards the goal they were attacking, the weather helped the Rams to get back into the game.

Walker had a chance early in the second half to score when he tried to lift the ball over keeper Lloyd Thomas on the left hand side of the penalty area but Thomas was just tall enough to prevent the shot from being chipped over him.

The Rams got a goal back on 65 minutes when Harry Tremlett took a free kick from 30 yards out. Initially it looked like the shot was going to be sailing a few yards over the crossbar but the gusting wind seemed to drop as the ball was heading towards goal and it suddenly dropped out of the air quickly and bounced over the line via the underside of the crossbar.

On 74 minutes Thomas had to be alert to Grant Powell’s shot from 20 yards out and he pushed it over the crossbar. At the other end Jimenez cut in from the left and then hit a shot towards goal but Shortt got down low to turn his effort away.

Petersfield drew level with eight minutes remaining thanks to a little bit of help from the weather again. The ball was spread to the right and Powell took it into the penalty area. He then dinked his shot past the keeper but it looked to be heading wide of the far post until a strong gust of wind changed the direction the ball was heading in and it dropped just inside the post instead.

This goal took the game into a penalty shoot-out at the end of 90 minutes and the first five penalties from both sides were perfect with no one missing their spot kick.

Shortt then saved Andover’s first penalty in sudden death and then if he scored the next penalty Petersfield would be through to the next round of the competition. However, he blazed his spot kick high and wide of the target.

The Rams keeper redeemed himself with the shoot-out score at 6-6 when he saved Dockree’s spot kick and substitute Sean Evans then buried his penalty to fire Petersfield into the next round.

Petersfield: Shortt, Johnson, Kershaw (James – who was replaced by Evans), Elward, Kennedy, Geddes, Powell, Tremlett, Boxall (Bedford), Walker, Essai. Subs not used: Thomas, Eaton.