ANDOVER Town took advantage of Blackfield & Langley’s FA Vase commitments to pull nine points clear of the Watersiders at the Sydenhams Premier summit.

Glenn Burnett’s league leaders kicked off 2018 with a handsome 3-0 win over Brockenhurst at the Portway Stadium.

The deadlock was broken inside three minutes when winger Mike Gosney played Zach Glasspool through for 1-0.

But it took until the 56th minute for Andover to double their advantage when Gosney struck following a corner.

Unusually for the ‘wizard of Gos’, he missed from the penalty spot after being fouled in the area, his effort hitting the post and George Hallahan sending the rebound wide.

But the pair of them soon made amends – Gosney slickly setting up Hallahan for goal number three.

Andover tomorrow (Tuesday, 7.45pm) host Paulsgrove in the Russell Cotes Cup quarter-finals.

*FAREHAM Town won a seven-goal thriller at Petersfield thanks to sub Sammy Kessack’s last-gasp winner.

Kessack bounced off the bench with five minutes to go and then, with just seconds of the Sydenhams Premier Division remaining, squeezed between two Rams defenders to head home Louie Castle’s pinpoint cross.

It wasn’t all good news for Fareham though. They had Robbie Pittman sent off for retaliation and six players booked – much to the amazement of manager Pete Stiles who said: “It was frustrating in a game where there wasn’t a bad tackle.”

Curt Robbins, George Davis and Ash Tattersall also found the net for the Reds, eclipsing efforts from Luke Kendall, Billy Connor and Ed Plackett for bottom-of-the-table Petersfield.

Tempers frayed too at Bemerton Heath where AFC Portchester boss Ian Saunders and his right-hand man Jay Hampson were sent to the stands during the Royals’ 2-1 win.

An own goal and an Andy Todd strike put Portchester 2-0 in the clear before Robbie Matthews replied for the Harlequins.

Both Fareham and AFC Portchester will be gunning for a place in the Russell Cotes Cup semi-finals tomorrow (Tuesday, 7.45pm) with home ties against Sholing and AFC Stoneham respectively.