ANDOVER Town travelled down the M27 to meet league newcomers Clanfield hoping to avenge their 5-0 thrashing at home in November.

An all-familiar start to this season ensued when Clanfield opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Number 9 Fred Penfold, who was in acres of space, slid the ball home from short range. (1-0)

As the half progressed Town were not doing too badly but their efforts were undone in the 20th minute when again awful defending with zero marking presented Clanfield’s Stewart Towse with a very easy goal making the score 2-0 to the home side.

There then followed an embarrassingly easy passage of play again with atrocious defending by Andover which led to Clanfield adding three more goals in quick succession by Reeves, Penfold again and Wingfield. (5-0)

In a faintly bizarre end to the half Jamile Goodman lobbed the home keeper in the 45th minute to make the half-time score 5-1 to the hosts, when Andover scored all the players and the away supporters seemed genuinely shocked that they had done so.

The second half continued much as the first half had ended with Clanfield scything through the Andover defence at will, not helped by Andover going a man down on the 51st minute when Chris Kapend was red-carded.

Clanfield added four more goas with 15 minutes to go to make the score 9-1 at that stage.

The goals came from Knight in the 60th minute, Penfold in the 70th minute to get his hattrick, Bartlett in the 75th minute and Knight in the 77th.

Town got a consolation goal in the 83rd minute from substitute Matthew Devereux to make the final score 9-2 to the hosts.

Andover were truly awful and relegation now seems almost a nailed-on certainty.

The prospects for the remaining 19 matches are indeed bleak.