Match Report by Hamish Manson.
This was a huge top of the table clash as third place Andover New Street played fifth place Hamble Club with only a point to separate the two sides. You could feel the tension around the ground even before kickoff which only added an extra layer of suspense.
New Street were fast off the mark as an early corner was swung in deep to the back post where number 10, Izzy Kaba, helped the ball into the side of the net giving ‘The Street’ an early lead. They sensed blood as they kept on the top of their game until Henry Newman, the Hamble goalkeeper, cracked under all the pressure and spilled a simple save right into the path of an onrushing attacker. Everyone in the ground held their breath as the ball flew towards the top left hand corner and then out of nowhere, the recovering keeper’s hand shot faster than a rocket to barely push it wide. Newman was off the floor and in the air within seconds, truly one of the saves of the season. This seemed to inspire the players as Hamble fought harder than even. The tables had been turned and pressure mounted as Heath Bartram, the New Street keeper, had to pull off save after save. You could sense what was coming as a low drive cross split the New Street defense and Matt Casey tucked it into the back of the net with a simple finish. When the half time whistle went, head coach Jamie Coleman had a plan up his sleeve, it was just down to the players to pull it off.
Just like we have seen so many times this season, New Street came out with a bang at the start of the second half. Their tiki-taka passing style was in stark contrast from the first half kick and rush strategy and brought a breath of fresh air to the match on what was already a blustery day. They came knocking on Hamble’s door a few times before a stunner from Claudio Herbert sailed right into the top bins putting New Street back in the driving seat. A third seemed inevitable until Hamble tried the same trick as New Street did with a corner which Bartram just couldn’t claim, giving Hamble’s Matt Casey his second of the match. The match fell off after this with neither team wanting to give away this valuable point. Marcel Laptas, the brightest spark against Brockenhurst in his debut all those months ago, was brought on as a substitute but even his brilliance didn’t affect the score. The match ended 2-2 giving both teams a valuable point but leaving the door open for Brockenhurst to swoop into third.