Tuesday 3rd November 2020 - Wessex Premier League
First chilly night of the season and with the 2nd lockdown looming, the Hammers took a trip to the only other unbeaten side left in the Wessex Premier League. Who would emerge with their record still intact? The rampant Hamworthy attack was also coming up against the tightest defence in the league.
Manager Tim Sills was able to recall Crit Clarke to left back with Tony Rolls still out with a thigh problem and young Cam Munn was still unavailable due to conforming to the self isolating rules.
The first half saw the Hammers on top with Eddie Hodge regularly marauding down the right flank and giving the Lymington full-back a torrid time, though no clear cut chances came from these attacks. Lymington showed in glimpses that they were able to cause the Hammers' defence problems if concentration dropped. Outright chances were few and far between for both sides and Hamworthy would have been disappointed to go into the break at 0-0.
H-T: 0-0
The 2nd half started with a good chance for Dan Cann who couldn't quite get a clear shot away from a Beasley cross and Lymington were soon up the other end with their first good chance. Following a break, Shane Murphy gladly saw a curling effort from the edge of the box come back off the post when beaten and a few minutes later an almost identical effort from House this time found the corner. Lymington were now fully on top and Hamworthy struggled for about 20 minutes to get back into the game. Cann had to leave the field with an injury and was replaced by Filkins as a makeshift target man and Ward came on for Francis in the middle of the park.
The Hammers managed to get back into the game in the final 15 minutes as they pressed for the equaliser. Filkins narrowly missed getting onto the end of a whipped ball in from the right and after Cocklin was sent up top to try and force the issue, a goal mouth scramble in injury time saw Matty Neale unable to get the ball out from under his feet in the box to get a shot away with the keeper was beaten and was closed down with the shot deflected over the bar.
On balance, a draw would have probably been a fair result with both teams on top for a half each, but it was Lymington who got the all important goal and ended the Hammers' record breaking unbeaten run and consecutive wins run while showing exactly why they have only conceded 1 goal in the league so far this season and became the first team in the league to prevent Hamworthy scoring!
Two sides that should be in the mix at the end of the season.
F-T: 1-0
Hamworthy - Murphy, Randall, Costello, Cocklin, Clarke, Hodge, Francis (Ward), Buckler, Beasley, Cann (Filkins), Neale
unused sub - Davis