Andover New Street 1 Team Solent 5.

New Street knew they would be in for a tough afternoon against a side very much in the promotion race but given that the first half was goalless the end result was perhaps disappointing.

Street, already missing Nic Oliver and Keiron Reeves, lost Dave Cotter an hour before kick-off and were forced to include Gavin Burgess and Tonmmy Gentleman, neither of whom was fully fit.

Solent forced an early corner that came to nothing and then created the first chance of the game as Jesse Waller-Laessen broke clear only to slide the ball past the advancing Dave Tasker and the wrong side of the post.

Ryan Lake averted further danger with a well timed tackle on Josh West before a long Mark Keogh throw found Ryan Heathershaw on the right but the cross was deflected behind for a corner.

Another corner, neatly worked by Lewis Alderman and Prince Xhamela, saw Heathershaw just fail to make contact at the far post and Street came off for the break happy with a goalless scoreline.

What went on in the dressing rooms at half-time is unknown, but certainly the students were shaken up and took the lead within five minutes when the ball was forced home in a goalmouth scramble following a corner.

To their credit New Street responded immediately and the scores were level again when Jack Hutchings cleverly lobbed former Andover keeper Tommy Taylor in the visitors’s goal.

Solent went back in front with a deflected shot that went in off the post and after Hutchings was just wide from an Alderman free-kick, Tasker got down superbly to deny West.

However he could do nothing about a 25-yard effort which found the top corner and as the home side tired Solent added two further goals to finish comfortably on top and remain in the top four who are beginnibg to break away from the pack.

Once again New Street created their own problems to a certain extent with player unavailability but they will not be the only side to suffer at Solent’s expense over the course of the season.

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