Football

A.F.C. Petersfield v Michelmersh & Timsbury

Hampshire Premier League

Division 1

Saturday 22 February 2020

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.08

A.F.C. Petersfield 2 Michelmersh & Timsbury 3, attendance 10

18’ 0-1

26’ 1-1

45’ 1-2 (pen)

77’ 2-2 (pen)

87’ 2-3

@ The Petersfield School, 3G Pitch

Cranford Road

Petersfield

GU32 3LU

No Admission or Programme.

I try to avoid doing 3G pitches on a Saturday, preferring to save them in case they host a midweek match, or even do them for friendlies at the start of the season, as games in cages don’t really feel like proper games. I only chose to break the rule today as it meant a double was possible and both matches were more or less guaranteed to go ahead.

This wasn’t really a one off venue. A.F.C. Petersfield normally play home matches at Love Lane (on a pitch adjacent to the ground of Petersfield Town) where I visited on 18th March 2017, seeing them lose 0-1 to Upham. They have now played five home games (out of 11) here at The Petersfield School. Today was their last home match of the season, due to there being just twelve teams in this division.

With this being second bottom versus fourth bottom in the league table, I wasn’t expecting great things. I was expecting a rather better match than the one these two very poor teams put on though. Neither team had much idea and quite how five goals were scored is a mystery. M & T took the lead with a free kick that went straight into the net with little attempt to block it. Petersfield levelled with a goal out of nothing, when a turn inside the centre circle saw their striker race clear and score with a shot off the inside of the far post. A penalty on the stroke of halftime made it 1-2 to the visitors, before Petersfield levelled through a penalty of their own, making it 2-2 with thirteen minutes left. A draw would have been a fair result, but a 25 yard free kick into the top corner of the net won it for M & T three minutes from the end.

Having kicked off eight minutes late, plus numerous injuries (mostly fake)it meant this didn’t finish until dead on 16.00. Luckily it was only eighteen minutes drive to my second match.