Potters Bar Town 3 Petersfield Town 1: PETERSFIELD Town can have few complaints about their defeat at Potters Bar Town on Saturday.

It was a tired-looking performance from the Rams and apart from a 15 minute spell at the start of the second half, the visitors were largely outplayed by a home side who were hungrier for the game.

Petersfield keeper Anthony Ender was kept busy in the opening stages of the first half as he had to deal with a number of Potters Bar chances.

On 11 minutes the Rams keeper dwelt too long on the ball and Jack Lyons caught him in possession but fortunately the block on Ender’s attempted clearance had little power on it and he was able to gather up the ball before it rolled over the line.

Two minutes later Ender raced off his line after Josh Hutchinson raced clear on the right hand side. The home striker chipped the ball over the keeper but his effort didn’t reach the goal and it was easily cleared to safety.

Billy Adcock then fired off a fierce snapshot after a free kick hit the Petersfield wall but his effort went straight into the hands of Ender and on 18 minutes the Rams keeper had to deflect Lyons’ shot on to the crossbar and Hutchinson completely missed the ball when it bounced down off the bar.

Lyons was then denied again when two deflections took his shot over the top but the home side eventually took the lead on 26 minutes. A cross from the right was headed back across goal and Lyons had the simplest of chances to score from no more than a few yards out.

Hutchinson then went close again two minutes later but his effort flashed across the goal and on the half hour Petersfield finally created an opening when Joe Briggs cut in from the left but he curled his shot straight into the hands of keeper Ben Goode.

Fortunes seemed to switch in Petersfield’s favour at the start of the second half and they should have scored just two minutes after the re-start when Joe Richardson got clear down the right and pulled the ball back to Andy Todd, who instead of tapping home somehow screwed his shot wide of the post.

On 54 minutes the home side should have doubled their advantage when the ball was played down the right and Lyons crossed to Hutchinson at the far post but he smashed his effort well over in front of an open goal.

However, two minutes later the Rams drew level. A long clearance forward from Ender was latched on to by Richardson and he took the ball up to the edge of the area before firing home an unstoppable shot past Goode.

But just as it looked like Petersfield were going to take a strong grip of this game they handed the home side their second goal on 67 minutes.

The Rams tried to play the ball out of defence but when they lost it and failed to clear their lines properly the ball fell to Hutchinson.

He side stepped two challenges before stroking his shot past Ender and into the net.

Potters Bar went close to scoring again on 77 minutes when substitute Jerry Maja fired a shot past Ender but Jamie Ford got back in time to clear his effort off the line.

The home side did get their third goal four minutes later and the visitors were again guilty of giving their hosts the opportunity.

Ender tried to deal with a long ball forward and Maja managed to partially block his attempted clearance.

As the ball spun up into the air Ender tried to head clear as he was unsure of his position on the edge of the box but the ball dropped at the feet of Maja who then chipped his shot over a defender and the ball bounced into the roof of the net.

Petersfield had the final half chance of the afternoon with six minutes remaining when Briggs received the ball on the left and his attempted cross was cleared back to him. He cut inside along the edge of the penalty before firing off a shot which went straight at Goode.

Petersfield: Ender, Todd, Wain, Green, Hyde (Giles), Ford, Richardson, Sackman, Buckland (O Searle), Briggs, J Neal. Subs not used: Saunders, Silver, Eaton.