HARTLEY Wintney moved into third position in the Southern League Division One West league and are now just three points behind Beaconsfield who are second, with top two guaranteed promotion.

For the Row it was third time lucky against Marlow, having lost the two previous meetings with the Buckinghamshire side this season.

A swirling wind made playing conditions difficult and the game was not helped by a whistle happy referee Craig Robson who stopped play frequently.

However, it was Hartley who held a slight edge throughout much of the early play but without creating a clear cut chance.

On 20 minutes an Adam Everiss corner on the left almost found the head of Liam Eagle and the ball went just wide.

A minute later Jake Baxter fastened onto a long clearance but over hit his attempted lob and the ball went over the bar.

Two minutes later and Hartley edged ahead. A long ball to Rowan Vine saw an attempted flick almost come off. A visiting defender was unable to control the ball and Jake Baxter stepped in to fire a fine shot into the net from 20 yards.

On 28 minutes a flowing move down the left from the Row saw Josh Webb and Adam Everiss combine to set up overlapping Steve Duff who fired across the face of the goal.

Two minutes later the visitors had their first effort on goal when Allen Bossman found space on the right and his parting shot found Paul Strudley well positioned to save.

On 31 minutes, the Row had the ball in the net when Rowan Vine scored from a Liam Eagle cross. However the celebrations were cut short by the flag of the assistant referee.

Marlow came into the game prompted by midfielder and former Town man Jordace Holder-Spooner but were unable to fashion any chances.

On 47 minutes the visitors chances of a recovery were dealt a serious blow with the dismissal of defender Chris Ovenden.

Tenacity in the tackle saw Paul Hodges gain possession and as he sped into the penalty box he was hauled down by Ovenden.

Being the last defender he was shown the red card and ordered from the field of play.

The offence was deemed to have been committed on the 18 yard line and the subsequent free-kick was driven wide by Tyron Smith.

Despite the man disadvantage it was the visitors who had a good spell.

A free-kick from 25 yards on 54 minutes gave Marlow a chance. Holder-Spooner’s shot was a yard over the bar. Holder-Spooner had a fine match and for a time pulled all the strings in midfield.

However, it was the Row who sealed the match on the hour mark. Rowan Vine jostled for possession in the centre circle and managed to squeeze the ball past the Marlow defenders to speed in on goal.

As the Marlow custodian Grant rushed out the Hartley striker toe poked the ball past him and into the net.

Three minutes later Marlow almost reduced the arrears following a corner from Holder-Spooner on the left. The delivery saw a number of players competing and a deflection saw an alert Strudley make a good save.

On 65 minutes Ty Smith set up Adam Everiss who brought out a good save from Grant.

Marlow responded and Holder-Spooner released Kelvin Bossman for a run on goal. The Blues forward shot across the face of the goal from a bad angle.

With the Row content to defend their lead chances became few and far between.

On 85 minutes a snap shot from 20 yards from Josh Webb struck the post.

Four minutes later the Row added a third. Paul Hadges made good progress coming in from the right and his pass to Jake Baxter allowed the striker to set up Adam Everiss. The winger fired home with a low shot from the edge of the box.

As in recent matches the Row’s two central defenders Liam Eagle and Jack Ball were solid at the back.

Joint manager Anthony Millerick said: "The conditions were difficult for both teams with the swirling wind. I felt we shaded the first half and deserved to be ahead.

He added: "The three goals we scored were all good and well taken from Jake Baxter, Rowan Vine and Adam Everiss. I felt we were disappointing for 15 minutes after the sending off. The dismissal seemed to affect us more than Marlow. After all said and done it was a comprehensive win over a very difficult team to play against."

This Saturday, Hartley have a tricky away game at Chalfont St Peter and then entertain Thame on Tuesday night.