PETERSFIELD TN 4, LEIGHTON TN 3

THIS was a game Petersfield needed to win, with Leighton sitting second from bottom in the Evo-Stik Southern League Div I Central, but it was deep into injury time when Howard Neighbour settled the seven-goal encounter with a coolly-dispatched penalty.

The Rams had to come from 2-0 down as the visitors made good use of the slope and wind advantage on a very heavy pitch at Love Lane.

James Hatch set up the first goal for Alex O’Brien in the 14th minute and Leighton doubled their lead on the half-hour when Aaron McKee’s fierce shot was superbly blocked by Anthony Ender, only for McKee to follow in and head the rebound into the net.

At that point, Petersfield raised their game by several notches. A quickly-taken throw-in caught Leighton napping and Neighbour curled his shot expertly into the far corner.

Three minutes into the second half, Leighton restored their two-goal cushion, Curtis Shaw scoring with a sublime chip over Ender.

But Petersfield, now with the elements in their favour, changed formation and made effective use of the long ball to press their opponents back.

Substitute Joe Richardson fired home from close range and David Jerrard’s strike in the 73rd minute left the game wide open at 3-3.

Leighton would have settled for a point at that stage, but their hopes were dashed in the final moments when goalkeeper Sam Wier conceded a blatant penalty and was dismissed for preventing a goal-scoring opportunity. Neighbour showed no sign of nerves and sent stand-in keeper Jordan Jenkins the wrong way to clinch a dramatic victory.