League

Andover
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) Andover's Brendon Doona started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. 6 minutes into the match, Shane Tanner had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Denis Swift. Andover's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Shane Tanner was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 0-2. When Shane Tanner fell near the penalty area in the 10th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Wolf Rex's protests and gave Shane Tanner a yellow card for diving instead. In the 10th minute, Shane Tanner hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. After 16 minutes of play, Andover's Harry Pickering made it 1-3 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Alf Battersby was left in no man's land by his defense there! In the 20th minute, Shane Tanner left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Wolf Rex fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 1-4. Donald Moyle received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 24th minute. Denis Swift tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 29th minute the ball was on its way in behind Andover's goalkeeper Denis Swift, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Benjamin Barfield took the ball and in the 33 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Denis Swift. Denis Swift dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 1-5. Andover's Denis Swift played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Benjamin Barfield in the 38th minute of play. Harry Pickering received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 40th minute. Alf Battersby tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 41st minute, Stevie Heywood got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Alf Battersby made a fantastic save in the 44th minute, when Harry Pickering sent off a good shot on target. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 2-5.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Benjamin Barfield to make the kick off. After a defensive mix-up in Andover's zone, Hugh Haskell stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Denis Swift came out of the goal and Hugh Haskell tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. 56 minutes in the game, the ball went up into the seats when Wolf Rex's Rupert Fielden fired away a shot that was just a little bit too high. He walked away shaking his head. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Donald Moyle in the 59th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Denis Swift prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Donald Moyle received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 62nd minute. Denis Swift tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. An unexpectedly hard shot by Danny Sadler in the 66th minute of play forced Wolf Rex's goalkeeper Alf Battersby to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Benjamin Barfield fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 69th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Denis Swift having to interfere. Alf Battersby made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Danny Sadler in the 72nd minute of play. Benjamin Barfield's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Denis Swift read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 74th minute of play. In the 96th minute Brendon Doona shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Alf Battersby saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Alf Battersby took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Harry Pickering, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. When the final whistle was heard the away supporters stood up and showed their joy. Wolf Rex had managed to secure a win in what was a close match throughout.