Petersfield Town co-manager Pat Suraci admitted his relief after his side secured their play-off spot with a 1-1 draw at Fawley in Division One of the Wessex League Premier Division on Saturday afternoon.

The Rams went into the game knowing they needed a point to seal a top-five finish, and duly got what was needed.

The Rams took the lead in the first half through Connor Hoare’s penalty, but Kyle Joryeff’s second-half equaliser earned Fawley a point. Saturday’s draw followed last Thursday night’s 2-2 draw at Romsey Town. The Rams had raced into an early two-goal lead thanks to goals from Alex Barsa and Oli Davies, but they were pegged back and had to settle for a share of the spoils.

Results elsewhere mean Petersfield will finish fifth and will travel to the second-placed team in the play-off semi-final next Tuesday night (April 25).

“We’ve been trying to seal that play-off place so it was a bit of a relief to get it secured,” said Suraci.

“We could have been 5-0 up before Fawley scored their goal.

“Although we’ve drawn two games we’ve been pleased with the performances. Fawley’s goal went in the top corner from 25 yards out – there was not much we could do about it. We need to have good performance levels going into the play-offs.

“We need to be more ruthless. We can practise finishing in training, but it’s about making sure the players feel confident with it.

“We didn’t have Archie Greenough against Romsey or Whitchurch, but he was back against Fawley on Saturday.”

The Rams travel to Hamworthy Recreation for their final league game on Saturday, but Suraci admitted he already has an eye on Tuesday night’s play-off.

“We might rotate players against Hamworthy on Saturday,” he said. “We need to manage minutes and prevent injuries before the play-offs.

“It’s all about heading into next Tuesday in the best place.

“We know we’ll finish fifth, so there’s no pressure to win to finish higher in the league.

“We won’t train much with these games coming up. It’s about managing injuries and adding little bits of information.”

With a play-off secured and a Wessex League Cup final against Baffins Milton Rovers on Saturday, May 6, there is plenty to look forward to at Love Lane.

“Our season could be over now, but we’ve still got lots to play for and look forward to,” said Suraci. “It’s what you do it for.”