Andover Town suffered a chastening 0-5 defeat against league newcomers Clanfield on Armistice Day, writes Roger Fawcett.
After what felt like weeks of torrential rainfall a couple of dry days made it possible for the visit of Clanfield to go ahead.
Both teams started quite brightly with a battle for midfield supremacy.
Clanfield broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when Harvey Cooper adroitly turned a left wing cross into the net. (0-1)
Town were finding it difficult to develop any form of cohesion and it was getting more and more difficult to stop the visitors who not surprisingly added a second goal in the 40th minute from number 7 Callum Reeves. (0-2)
As the game wore on in the second half, Andover looked less and less threatening.
The second half continued with Clanfield again dominating and their third goal arrived in the 50th minute from number 9 Fred Penfold. (0-3)
At this stage Andover hadn’t had a single shot on goal, their midfield was being overrun and the defence were having difficulty in stopping the opposition.
And in the 70th minute Davidson -Solar scored which starkly illustrated the difference between the two teams all over the pitch. (0-4)
By this time Town were really dejected and not surprisingly Danny Penfold rounded off the scoring with a goal in the 85th minute to make the final score 0-5 to the visitors.
The players demonstrated effort and commitment but the plain truth is they are just not good enough to compete at this level. Relegation sadly looms for Town.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here