Match 19. Andover New Street v New Milton Town

Saturday 7^th December 2013 @3pm

Wessex League Division One

ANDOVER NEW STREET 0-3 NEW MILTON TOWN

Foxcotte Park, Charlton, Andover

 

Admission: £5

Programme: £1

Attendance: 25 h/c

Food: Cheeseburger, £2.50

Drink: Thatchers Gold, £2.80

 

With the girls going to Basingstoke for shopping, I drove the short distance from there to Foxcotte Park.  The entrance is between the club building and the home dressing room. The club building has a large bar, snack bar, toilets and away dressing room. Cover at the ground is located at the clubhouse entrance by an attached cover where most of the regular congregate, with some benches and patio area also in situ. A seated stand is adjacent to the club building and it looks like was developed from a lorry trailer? Steps are built on the front of the stand.  The rest of the pitch is railed and hard standing with the dugouts opposite the club building. The car park is to the left of the turnstile with ample space.

  

The teams lined up accompanied by drizzle that remained for most of the match, making the pitch sticky in places.  Andover only had the bare 11 available and it got worse after 3 minutes.  The away side pointed out to the referee that Street defender Ryan Lake was wearing a cast under his long sleeve shirt and gloves. This was a full cast for a broken finger and wrist, leaving the referee no choice but to tell Lake to leave the pitch.  With the home side down to tem men for 87 minutes, it was going to be an uphill struggle.  Street was under pressure throughout the game, apart from the odd foray into the opposition half.  Despite some super saves from the home goalkeeper Dave Tasker, New Milton took the lead on 18 minutes.  Tasker got his hand to a shot from Kabba but Sam Groves slotted in the rebound. Five minutes later it was 2-0 as Kabba picked up the loose ball and slipped the ball past the advancing keeper into the net.

 

The second half continued in the same manner, although Street did have more possession in this half.  The final goal came after 65 minutes when a goalmouth scramble after a second cross after a corner, the ball was stabbed in from close ranch by Jack Hoey.  This was a valiant effort from the home side but a lack of availability the main contribution to their downfall.