BAT Sports 1 Andover 6

CFL sponsored Andover maintained their record of never having lost a league fixture at Southsea Gardens last Saturday - a game that became a personal triumph for the Lions prolific young striker Andy Forbes.

The 21-year-old from Reading confirmed his position as Andover's second highest ever goalscorer with a second-half hat-trick - his third of the season and second in successive games.

The Lions have more than 30 league and cup games still to play this season and Forbes is well on course to reach the 200 mark by the end of the season. However, he rarely looked like adding to his tally in the first half but looked unstoppable in the second and never has the proverbial 'a game of two halves' been more appropriate.

The Lions' first-half showing was arguably their worst opening 45 minutes of the season in the JWL and not surprisingly were trailing 1-0 at half time. They looked totally out of sorts, showed little imagination in front of goal and a rare mistake by Glen Damen gifted an equally unimpressive BAT side a first-half lead.

After the interval, spurred by Lloyd Webber, Shaun Dyke and Spencer Walsh, the Lions moved up two gears, equalised after 53 minutes and then ran riot with four more goals coming in a dazzling 17 minute spell before Forbes completed his hat-trick with the final goal.

Whatever Andover boss Ken Cunningham Brown said during his half-time team talk it certainly did the trick as the Lions really turned it on in the second half. It was just like the switching on of a light switch as they took control straight from the restart and for the first time in the game played like the defending JWL champions.

Forbes, within a minute, just failed to win a one-on-one with the BAT 'keeper who did well to keep the ball out of his net but that was just to be the aperitif. Eight minutes into the half Rusher broke into the BAT area and, although he scuffed his shot, Dave Asker was on hand to sweep the ball into the net.

It's amazing what a goal can do to a team for once on level terms the goal-hungry Lions showed the kind of appetite for the game that won them title last season, and the main course was not long in coming with Forbes rifling them ahead from a superb cross by Dyke.

Straight from the kick-off Webber almost netted again after a typical run and shot from deep but he was just a fraction too high with his finish.

The Lions however were not to be denied and Dyke made it 3-1 with just over an hour played with was the best goal of the game; receiving the ball wide on the left from Webber's adroit pass he held off three challenges before scoring only his fourth goal of the season with a fine drive.

A wave of red shirts continued to pour forward and only a further three minutes had elapsed before the Lions struck again with Asker netting the fourth with a rare headed goal after Dyke and Rusher had combined to bamboozle the BAT defence. Four minutes later it was 5-1 with the now irrepressible Forbes netting his second goal of the game.

During a totally one-sided second half BAT hardly entured outside their own half but with 15 minutes left they did manage to get in behind the Lions defence, leaving Keiron Drake in a one-on-one situation and the Lions' 'keeper was adjudged to have brought down the onrushing forward. The decision looked harsh but after Drake was shown the yellow card Kev James, the tobbacomen's best player, struck a post from the resulting spot kick.

With 10 minutes left Alan Kennedy came on for Asker and with his first touch set up Forbes to lob the 'keeper from the edge of the area and complete his hat-trick.

KCB admitted that the Lions were well below par in the first half but they got their act together in the action. "It was a brilliant second-half performance. The pitch was awful and in the first half they were quick to close us down but in the second we were able to play the way we wanted."

Andover (4-4-2): Drake; Freeman, Barker, Damen, Bicknell; Asker, Webber, Walsh, Dyke; Rusher, Forbes. Subs: Kennendy (for Asker 80 mins), Crossley (not used), Mattingley (not used).

l Andover's JWL Cup game at Blackfield & Langley on Tuesday night was postponed due to a floodlight failure at Newlands Road but the Lions will be lining up against Blackfield again this Saturday in the JWL at The Portway (3pm). The JWL Cup game will now be played next Thursday, 20 December.