Petersfield 4 Havant IV 1: PETERSFIELD welcomed Havant for the last fixture of the league campaign.

Petersfield were in second place and required a single point to guarantee promotion if results were not to go their way. On the other hand, Havant were looking to claim three points to avoid relegation.

Petersfield started with possession, and used all players and angles of the pitch to transfer the ball from side to side with pace. Petersfield were rewarded early with a penalty corner after a foul in the circle, and Harris put his name on the scoreboard. A counter attack from the heart of the Petersfield defence broke forwards to the midfield and the attackers. Edwards took the ball into the circle and was taken down by the keeper, and a penalty flick was awarded. Captain Grinstead took to the spot and extended the lead to 2-0 with a flick to the bottom left of the net. Havant continued to press Petersfield and threatened down the right-hand side. Havant capitalised from a penalty corner to make the score 2-1 at half time.

Havant started the second half by keeping the ball. Petersfield broke this down after some time despite Havant’s attempts to tire the hosts. High pressure from the Petersfield midfield allowed Harris and Edwards to break away and Edwards slipped the ball into an open goal. Petersfield continued to press Havant and created many chances. Petersfield’s discipline slipped momentarily with tiring legs as both Alder and Lane were sent to the sin bin at different intervals. Once Petersfield were back to full strength they extended their lead to 4-1 when J Atkinson struck the ball past the keeper towards the far post.

Petersfield finished second in the league with 45 points from 22 games, and achieved promotion from Hampshire Division 3 to Hampshire Division 2. This is the team’s fourth promotion in a row. Petersfield now look forward to their cup campaign, where their next challenge is against Alton in the quarter finals of the Hampshire Trophy. The tie will be played at Southampton Sports Centre on Saturday, April 16.