Broughton 1, Fair Oak 3

A gale force wind, at times laced with rain, blowing diagonally across the pitch did no favours to either side in this fiercely contested match.

In the end it was visitors Fair Oak who dealt with the conditions better, building up a two-goal lead in the first half and squaring the second.

The first goal, after eight minutes, was a bizarre wind-assisted effort. Simon Reynolds' ball forward from the centre-circle was no more than a hopeful punt, but it bounced over the advancing Neil Collis and rolled into the net with Steve Wheatland there to shepherd it over the line.

Midway through the half, with Broughton finding it difficult to get out of their half, Lee Strange was guilty of a weak back-pass and Dave Gentry nipped in to touch the ball past Collis for the second.

Broughton's best effort of the first half came just before the break when Gary Lane and Lee Young set up Lee Cogan, but the young striker shot over the bar.

In the second half Broughton had the wind at their backs and attacked hard, but Fair Oak defended in no-nonsense style, and Wheatland and Gentry were always a threat on the break.

When Nobby Carr nodded in Ryan Wareham's corner from almost on the line to drag it back to 2-1, a grandstand finish seemed likely.

But Fair Oak struck back almost at once. Collis and his defenders failed to cut out a cross from the right, and Gentry hooked home the bouncing ball.

Towards the end Broughton attacked with increasing desperation, but Fair Oak could handle all that was thrown at them.

more Hampshire League football in this week's Hampshire Chronicle