Royston Town 2 Petersfield Town 3: THE RAMS have got their mojo back.

The spirit of 2014 and 2015 – which won them promotions during those years – is well and truly back and flowing through the Petersfield Town squad.

And what is that spirit? A never give up attitude and a style of football which seems to bring results whatever the circumstances they find themselves in.

In the previous two seasons what has got Petersfield over the line is that they just don’t know when they are beaten and just when you think a game is going to go against them and there is no possible way they could win again, they go and prove you wrong.

There have been short spells in recent matches when the spirit was showing signs of making a return but in Saturday’s trip to Royston Town it was in full effect as the Rams produced their best performance of the season to date.

And what a performance it was, with goals coming for the Rams just when the game was threatening to get away from them and a superb defensive performance led by the heroics of goalkeeper Anthony Ender – and all of this against a team who were in the play-off positions before the game kicked-off.

There was action straight from the start of this thrilling encounter and the Rams should have taken the lead after just three minutes. The home side had to hack the ball off the line twice in a goalmouth scramble but the ball eventually bounced into the hands of Royston keeper Ronnie Yates.

Three minutes later and the home side almost took the lead when a cross from the right was deflected towards his own goal by Jamie Ford but Ender got down well at his near post to turn the ball behind the goal for a corner.

Andy Todd then had two great chances to put Petersfield in front from close range but on both occasions he lost his footing at the crucial moment and could not get any power behind his shots.

Royston took the lead on 22 minutes from the penalty spot after the referee judged that Stuart Green had sent an attacker sprawling on the edge of the box. Jack Bradshaw dispatched his spot kick in off the right hand post.

Petersfield were level seven minutes later when Joe Richardson picked up the ball in midfield and played a good pass out to the right to Joe Briggs. He cut inside his marker and from the edge of the penalty area he dispatched his shot past Yates and into the far corner of the net.

Shortly before half time Rhys Hoewes tried his luck with a rising shot from the edge of the box which just cleared the crossbar and at the other end Howard Neighbour headed the ball on into the path of Richardson, whose dipping, first time volley only just spun wide of the post.

Royston tried to make a quick start to the second half but it was Petersfield who had the better chances to score.

On 47 minutes Todd managed to win back possession of the ball on the left and it was crossed to the far post where Briggs headed the ball back across goal and the home defence stood and watched as the ball hit the post and was then cleared to safety.

The Rams took the lead two minutes later when Briggs’ pin-point corner from the right found Lewis Hyde on the edge of the six yard box, and he outjumped everyone to loop his header over the defender marking the near post and it dropped into the net.

Ender then maintained Petersfield’s lead with a string of outstanding saves. He tipped Bradshaw’s goalbound free kick from 25 yards out over the crossbar and then he somehow managed to keep Ryan Towner’s point-blank shot from going in with an outstretched arm as he was tumbling the wrong way.

Petersfield always looked a threat going forward and at the other end David Jerrard’s shot from 25 yards out was heading for the top corner until Yates tipped it over the crossbar.

The home side made it 2-2 on 70 minutes when substitute Rob Mason scored with his first touch of the ball after coming on. Ender again made a fantastic low save by pushing out a shot from point-blank range but the ball ran into the path of Mason, who was following up at the far post and he buried his low shot into the net.

But the Rams were not done and they got their noses in front again two minutes later. A corner from the left was cleared back to where it had come from and after several attempts to work some space on the left, an inswinging cross found the head of Jerrard on the penalty spot and his downward header beat Yates and went into the net.

Petersfield then withstood enormous pressure from the home side in the closing stages as they tried to force another equaliser.

Hyde had to block a low shot after a Royston player got in between two Rams defenders inside the penalty area and then a corner from the left was flicked on at the near post and Mason tried to hook the loose ball home from close range.

Ender again somehow managed to prevent the ball from going in with another fantastic save on his goal line and he bravely clung on to the ball as Royston’s players tried to force it over the line.

Deep into injury time substitute Simon Thomas thought he had got the better of Ender when he picked up a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area but the Rams keeper got down low to turn the shot around the post.

Petersfield: Ender, Searle, Wain, Green, Hyde, Ford, Richardson, Jerrard (Norgate), Neighbour (Bailey), Briggs, Todd. Subs not used: Needham, Eaton.