Andover Town and Andover New Street draw 2-2 in league derby

The visitors made the better start with a Luke Hooper shot turned round the post by keeper Jack Hopwood, a Cameron Thatcher cross emphatically cleared for a corner and a handball claim turned down.

Ben Emans bought Town in to the game with a couple of pacy runs and a shot that hit the inside of the far post and rebounded in to play, but after Street goalkeeper Chris Wing bravely saved a Michael Owen shot the home side went ahead on the ten minute mark.

A corner, swung in from the left, was headed back in to the six yard box and Joel Bertie was the quickest to react and hooked the ball over the line.

Hooper’s pace was troubling the Town defence and a Shane Lock cross was headed out of Hopgood’s hands by one of his own defenders before the lead was doubled after twenty six minutes.

Wing collected a through ball and under little pressure while debating his clearance suddenly trod on the ball, fell over, and Michael Owen almost apologetically rolled the ball in to the empty net.

As Street finished the half the strongest, but the home defence held firm, often with bodies in the way of the ball, and the half ended 2-1.

Street started the second half with Lewis Alderman replacing Adam Pearson in the heart of the defence and came close to reducing the deficit when a home defender swung wildly at a Lloyd Thompson cross and was relieved to see the ball fly over his own crossbar.

Back came the home side with Nathan Primus finding Bertie, whose shot was high, before Wing produced the save of the evening to turn a Tom Pattison piledriver over the bar.

The stoppages for the substitutions had interrupted the flow of the game which developed in to a midfield battle for a spell until bursting in to life again with some six minutes left on the clock.

Street made ground down the left, Cameron Thatcher burst in to the area and simply kept running and slotted the ball past Hopwood from a narrow angle.

There was then the usual “debate” as to who was going to retrieve the ball from the net, a scuffle and a red card for Primus with the referee indicating that he had stamped on an opponent.

Scenting a point New Street came forward again and Thompson was inches away with an acrobatic volley from a Ross Belbin cross before Adam Pattison collected a yellow card for a tackle born out of frustration.

Normal time had given way to added time when New Street won a corner on the right.

The kick cleared everybody and Ross Cook, all alone on the far side of the area, volleyed the ball through the crowd of defenders and attackers alike to find the net inside the far post and cause almost manic celebrations from the white shirted visitors.

Within another minute the final whistle ensured honours finished even after a match which was a credit to both sides.