○Whitchurch United2–2Andover Town

These two sides had met earlier in the season at Longmeadow in the North Hants Cup when Whitchurch won by four goals to one, helped on the night by some defensive frailties in the opposition which have since been cured as Town have moved up the table. This time on a chilly, but mercifully dry evening, it was League points at stake and a typical local derby was surely enjoyed by all present though those with Andover connections will probably still be ruing the outcome that was decided in second half stoppage time.

The game started brightly with the visitors on the front foot as Owen Trapnell saw a thirty yard effort held head high by home keeper Konrad Syzmaniak who was then forced to go full length to push a low drive from Tom Pattison round the post. The home side’s first threat on goal came from a throw in, awarded though the ball did not go out of play, from which Ryan Long fashioned a chance for Declan Shuttleworth only for Keiran McHardy to turn the shot round the post. The visitors were enjoying more of the possession and after Zach Hine’s shot was straight at the keeper, Harrison Hale put a free header over the bar from inside the six yard area. The pressure was rewarded after twenty three minutes when Ben Emans’s pace took him from his own half to the corner flag before he was stopped by a somewhat untidy challenge. The wide man took the free kick himself, low and hard in to the area, and ADAM PATTISON’s clever flick at the near post beat the keeper’s despairing dive. Another Ryan Long cross won a corner from which the blue shirted defence somehow survived a frantic scramble in the goalmouth before play switched to the other end where Syzmaniak rashly charged out to the touchline, floored Hine with the ball nowhere near and collected a deserved yellow card for his efforts. Trapnell tried another thirty yarder, this time held at the second attempt, and the cautions were level after a blatant body check by a home defender halted another Andover attack on the stroke of halftime.

Having just had a fifteen minute break Andover’s Connor Cullingford extended that by ten minutes with a trip to the sin bin immediately after the re-start and Syzmaniak saved smartly in a crowded area before Shuttleworth stretched to meet a Charlie Plumbley cross only for the limited contact to send the ball over the bar. The striker then received a harsh booking for blocking a free kick – everybody’s idea of ten yards is not the same – and Whitchurch had the best of the play before finding themselves two goals down approaching the half hour mark. RUEBEN SMITH’s pace took him clear of the defence in pursuit of a through ball and his clever lob over the keeper, who was in no man's land, doubled his side’s lead. Whitchurch’s Robbie Henderson then took a turn in the sin bin leaving the home side with ten men which rapidly became nine. Shuttleworth and a defender chased a through ball, the goalkeeper came out and in the inevitable collision all three finished on the ground and the ball rolled to safety. To the surprise of many the referee produced a yellow card for Shuttleworth – his second – and he was off. It seemed a harsh decision. Undeterred Whitchurch took the game to the opposition and pulled a goal back through LONG. The striker’s value to Whitchurch is at times beyond estimation as he picked the ball up ten yards inside the Andover half and finished his run by placing the ball calmly past the advancing McHardy. Six minutes still left on the clock and Whitchurch restored to ten men before Andover, not for the first time this season, conceded a late goal that cost them points. A through ball reached McHardy on his goal line in stoppage time and in such situations you surely send the ball as far as possible up the field – or in to the next Parish as a nearby spectator said at the time – but the young keeper dallied, allowing RORY WOOD to challenge, the forward won the ball and toed it over the line. Harsh on the keeper and on his side and with no further scares at either end it meant the spoils were shared.

This was a typical local derby enjoyed by all and on the run of play overall Andover probably deserved all three points but a point apiece moved the home side up to fourth and the visitors to eighth as both continue to enjoy their seasons. The attendance was disappointing – the good people of Whitchurch are seemingly largely unaware of the current form of their local side – which just leaves one question again. Why so many cautions?