New Street come back from a goal down to defeat Fawley

The the win was not without a struggle as the Fawley side took an early lead and troubled the home defence throughout the first half. But they either sat back or were driven back, probably a mixture of both, in the second half with the home side ensuring the points some five minutes from time.

Street fielded new signings in goalkeeper Jordi Wilson and Chris Flood and had Shane Lock back from injury and on the bench.

Fawley won an early corner that was confidently held by Wilson – his first touch of the ball before tempting fate at the other end when trying to play the ball out of the area.

Luke Hooper won a free kick, though he may have preferred the advantage, and Lee Burch a midfield player at the end of Andover’s Southern League days, but now an eminently capable goalkeeper, clung on to Reece Rusher’s shot at the second attempt.

Fawley were quick and direct, though prone to fall victim to the offside flag, and took the lead after just eleven minutes. A long clearance saw the home defence fail to deal with a bouncing ball and Dylan Knight went on to easily beat the stranded Wilson.

The visitors then dominated possession for a spell and one a soft free kick on the right - shoulder to shoulder is unfair? – which they wasted before a well - timed Adam Pearson challenge halted another promising attack. Burch claimed a Josh Jeffries cross before the game was halted by a long discussion between the referee and one of his assistants.

Seemingly the latter objected to some language aimed at him by a visiting player but no action was taken.

A neat move between Rusher and Flood provided Jeffries with another shooting chance but again Burch did his job and after another important Pearson challenge Street bought the scores level on the brink of half time. Some neat control by Flood on the edge of the area made space for Harry Lawton and his low drive found the corner of the net to leave matters all square at the break at the break.

The home side, perhaps roused by some managerial speak during the interval, were quickly in to their stride on the re-start and after two corners in quick succession came to nothing Burch denied Rusher at point blank range after the visitors again tried to play the ball out of their area.

Flood was inches wide with a diving header from a Rusher cross, Burch saved at full stretch from Danny Field and a Lawton header looped against the crossbar as Street sought to turn their one point in to three.

Substitutes were introduced by both sides and play continued to be mainly in the Fawley half with the visitors, unlike the first half, not going forward with the same frequency or urgency. Hooper collected the first booking of the afternoon before, with five minutes left on the clock, Street finally broke the deadlock with two of their substitutes heavily involved. Mikey Davis’s persistence won a corner on the left and his in-swinging kick was palmed over the bar by Burch for a corner on the other flank.

This one. in-swinging again, was taken by Shane Lock and avoided all in the box, friend and for alike, to finish in the fat corner of the net. This setback prompted the visitors to go forward and, in stoppage time, a fiercely struck free kick from the left was superbly saved by Wilson – the mark of a good keeper keeping his concentration when not heavily involved.

George Plank levelled the cautions tally with an unnecessary challenge by the corner flag with the final whistle following immediately before the home side could take any advantage. New Street overall deserved the three points but Fawley will be disappointed at getting so close in a game that was never a classic but seldom lacked interest.