The Downton ground hasn't changed since I've been going up there but there is a new housing development being built behind the dugouts on the far side of the pitch which used to be wasteland.
Downton had a couple of early efforts wide and New Milton were on the back foot for the first ten minutes. New Milton then created a very good opportunity with a spectacular attempt at an overhead kick going just wide of the post, due to a last second intervention and deflection by a Downton defender.
After 16 minutes New Milton were awarded a freekick about 30 yards out after a late sliding tackle caught one of their players. The freekick was hit along the ground and looked to be gathering pace on the wet surface. I thought that the Downton keeper would have it covered but as he dived down he seemed to lose the flight of the ball and ended up missing his catch and deflecting the ball into the net.
Downton had a great chance to equalise after 21 minutes from a free kick that was played high into the box. It looked like a straightforward opportunity to head in but the player made the wrong decision and attempted an overhead kick which he mistimed and ended up missing the ball completely.
The rain was getting heavier and the conditions weren't helping the game. A number of rusty limbs were making mistimed tackles and in normal circumstances the cards would have been flying out of the referee's pocket. He seemed to be content to talk to the players instead and remind them that it was just a pre-season friendly.
New Milton won another freekick, this time to the left of the penalty area. The ball was tapped to the right and a shot flew low towards the near post. On this occasion the Downton keeper was able to get behind it and prevent a goal. Two minutes later he had no chance with a cracking shot from 25 yards out that flew from the right side of the pitch towards the far left post. A great goal to give New Milton a 2.0 lead at half time.
I had been a little worried that some of the players had numbers above 11 and that perhaps the kick off had actually been at 2 instead of 3. It was a relief to see that there wasn't a mass exodus from the stand at 3.45!
Five minutes into the second half and New Milton went 3.0 up from a corner. The ball was played high to the far post and an unmarked player got up and headed it across the keeper and in. Downton managed to pull a goal back three minutes later. A freekick from the left was played in to the six yard box where a Downton player beat the keeper to the ball and glanced a header over him and in.
The game settled down as the weather brightened up slightly and both teams had chances to score. After 67 minutes, the Downton keeper made three saves - one from a long shot outside the box and two from close range as he was only able to push the ball away. New Milton then had a goal disallowed for offside.
Downton made a number of substitutions and this gave New Milton the upper hand as the Downton subs were a young group of players. This inexperience led to New Milton's fourth goal after 70 minutes. The ball was played back low from the right touchline and it looked like the defender would clear it for a corner. Inexplicably he decided to leave it and when the ball ran behind him, it allowed the New Milton player he should have been marking to tap it past the keeper with ease.
Downton almost scored an own goal on 74 minutes. One of the defenders tried to clear the ball at the edge of the box only to see the ball spin backwards with pace off his boot and towards the goal. Luckily for him the keeper was in the right place to scramble across the goalmouth and save it. New Milton then had another goal disallowed for offside but it wouldn't be too long until they scored again.
On 82 minutes New Milton put a shot just wide. As their players ran towards the halfway line, the Downton keeper decided to take a quick goalkick to his teammate who was stood near the penalty area. This was a very poor decision as the player was soon surrounded by two New Milton players who won the ball, crossed it in to a team mate and gave him the simple task of tapping the ball into the net at the far post. Downton then brought on a substitute keeper for the last ten minutes.
New Milton were well on top of the game and used their experience and physique to take the ball through the Downton defence with ease. In the 88th minute one of their players ran into the penalty area unopposed and put a shot low to the keeper's right side. The keeper managed to get a hand to it but his wrist was not strong enough to deflect it wide and the ball ended up in the goal. In the last minute New Milton made it 7.1 following a good run down the left hand side. The ball was played across and when the shot came in, the keeper could only parry it to a New Milton player to tap it past him and into the net.
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