PETERSFIELD TN 4, POTTERS BAR 1 (Evo-Stik Southern League: Div I Central)

OLI Bailey scored his first hat-trick for the club as Petersfield inflicted a heavy defeat on mid-table Potters Bar Town.

Despite traffic problems and the inevitable rain, the game went ahead at Love Lane. The clinical finishing of young Bailey was the obvious highlight, while Anthony Ender made a series of good saves to limit the visitors to a single goal.

The heavy pitch cut up badly, but both sides sensibly adapted their play to the conditions.

Things might have been different if Ashley Nathaniel-George had put the Scholars ahead on 15 minutes, rather than hit the crossbar.

Instead, Petersfield took the lead on 20 minutes with their first real effort on goal, Bailey getting on the end of a low cross from the right.

Joe Briggs almost doubled the lead from a free-kick, but Potters Bar came back strongly and Ender brought off two superb saves to deny Billy Adcock.

Potters took their good spell into the second half, but the game turned Petersfield’s way after 58 minutes when Luke Warner-Eley tried to cushion the ball back to keeper Ben Goode and instead miscued it to Bailey who coolly fired home from some 30 yards out.

The Hertfordshire side sent on another attacker and the move paid off midway through the half when Eoin Casey calmly placed his shot past Ender.

But Potters Bar’s bold approach left gaps in defence for the Rams to exploit with long balls down the slope. Again, Bailey was there to latch onto a cross and he scored at the second attempt to complete his treble and restore the two-goal cushion.

Ender made further good stops before Petersfield put the game to bed in the 85th minute, Briggs finding the far corner with a precision shot.

The Love Lane pitch was too badly damaged to be used again on Saturday and the fixture with Beaconsfield was postponed.

Petersfield travel to fifth-placed St Ives this Saturday and on Wednesday (March 2) they are scheduled to host Chalfont St Peter, currently sixth.

AYLESBURY 4, PETERSFIELD 0

Petersfield came down to earth with a bump on Tuesday when they were thumped 4-0 by Aylesbury at Haywood Park. Lynton Goss was Aylesbury’s hero with a hat-trick and, for good measure, he created the other goal for Gareth Price.

The Rams, 2-0 down at half-time, had a great chance to get back into the match soon after the restart, but Jamie Ford headed straight at keeper James Weatherill from close range.

Petersfield were better in the second half, but conceded twice in the last five minutes.