11:22pm Tuesday 2nd March 2010
By Sports editor Kerry Miller
Stockbridge 2 Hamble ASSC 2.
Stockbridge entertained high riding Hamble ASSC on Tuesday night in what turned out to be a thriller.
On a superb pitch but on a chilly night two of the form sides in the division went at it from the off and Danny Bowers’ promotion chasers showed why they having such a good season with Jamie Musselwhite and Ashley Jarvis showing well up front but getting little from Stockbridge’s well drilled defence where Tristan Burton had an outstanding game. They traded blows for half an hour until Paul West’s mazy dribble and shot was somehow kept out by Alex Thompson who then denied Jarvis a minute later.
At the other end Steve Witt was only inches wide with a vicious drive as the half somehow closed goalless. James Bull had Hamble’s first chance after the break but his half volley went just over before the Robins stepped up a gear and began to dominate the game.
Ten minutes in they took the lead when Nick Coates’ corner was headed across his own area by Richard Butt and keeper Jon Webb could only watch it drop in at the far post for an own goal.
Witt then beat the offside trap but took one touch too many and was smothered by Webb on the hour. Hamble came back into it with 20 minutes left and the game changed dramatically as they had Dan Sturman sent off for abusing a linesman. Within a minute Musslewhite had stabbed home the equaliser but with five minutes left a Witt drive was too much for Webb for what should have been the winner. To their credit the ten men fought back and when West’s cross was not cleared James Roden bundled it home from almost on the goal line to salvage a point.
In what is fast becoming nightmare football season for players, administrators and supporters, all Wessex League football was again wiped out by the rain on Thursday and Saturday.
New Street’s game on Thursday with Verwood went west as did Stockbridge’s trip to Amesbury and Whitchurch’s home game with Horndean.
On Tuesday Whitchurch United journeyed to Alresford Town for their North Hants Senior Cup semi-final and went down 4-2 after extra-time.
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