A LATE three-goal flurry sent Andover Town to a heavy 4-1 defeat at Bemerton on Tuesday.

Andover were 1-0 down going into injury time but an own-goal by goalkeeper Jake Wellesley-David and two quick strikes from Scott Joyce were enough to send Town to their fourth defeat in five league games.

However, the result was perhaps unfair on Andover, who gave a much improved performance and dominated the early stages of the first half and most of the second.

They started brightly with plenty of possession in the final third but it was Bemerton who took the lead 20 minutes in when Reece Rusher, son of Lions’ legend Vinnie, played in Joyce who skipped two tackles and slid the ball past the onrushing Wellesley- David.

Andover came back quickly and minutes later Nico Williams nearly levelled but his shot was lashed wide.

Town pushed hard for an equaliser before half-time and it was Oliver Yates who came closest – his curling effort drifting narrowly wide of Max Frampton’s far post.

After the break Andover came out brightly again and Danny Urry had a golden opportunity to grab the equaliser when he was put through one-on-one with Frampton, but the keeper produced a strong save down to his left to push to ball out for a corner.

Bemerton thought they should have had a penalty when Jack Slade looked to have been pulled down from a corner, but the referee disagreed and waved play on.

From there, Andover threw themselves forward in search of an equaliser.

However, a mistake by Matt Scott in the 90th minute ended that hope when Slade dispossessed him on the edge of the box and slid the ball past Wellesley-David.

From there the game turned on its head and Bemerton were 3-0 up just two minutes later when Joyce lobbed Wellesley-David for his second of the game.

Michael Dixon pulled one back in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Frampton palmed a long shot from midfield on to the post and Dixon was there with the rebound.

The game had one more goal as Joyce completed his hat-trick in the 96th minute after another counter attack.

The result leaves Andover in 17th, three points above the relegation zone.