Written by Andy Jones (@TheRamblingHam)
A short trip up the A338 ended in disappointment for Ringwood Town on Tuesday after succumbing to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of local rivals Downton FC.
Ringwood, without in-form Striker Shaun Prentice – who had failed a fitness test prior to the game – were unable to keep their recent run of good away form going.
An encouraging first-half saw both sides draw blood, Downton had taken an early lead but Ringwood drew level after some good play down the left from Ryan Hamm.
Hamm found Adam Riley in the box, the striker saw his shot blocked but Hamm was on hand to rifle the rebound into the top corner and level things up going into the break.
Ringwood struggled to get going in the second half, and keeper Liam Harris was caught out by a cross that looped over his head and into the net.
Downton soon took control and added another two goals which took the game away from the Long Lane outfit.
In an evening that turned from bad to worse for Ringwood, Ben Harris was taken off with an injury, ruling him out of the FA Vase tie this Saturday – a huge blow for the club.
In what was a lethargic second half performance from Ringwood they will be disappointed they couldn’t back up their brilliant recent away form.
Victories over US Portsmouth and Romsey had lifted the mood around the club, but manager Richard Morse was frustrated with his side’s performance. He said: “We didn’t really get going, bit disappointed really.
“We went through the motions and huffed and puffed a lot but we have to learn to be more consistent.”
The result now leaves Ringwood in 12th, a point ahead of Downton but the Hampshire side have several games in hand and a good run could see them establish themselves in the top 10.
A disappointing night overall and with two key players out for this weekend’s FA Vase tie with Newton Abbot Spurs a much improved performance will be needed if they hope to get anything from the South West Peninsula League Premier Division east side.
Follow Ringwood Town on Twitter:@ringwoodtownfc or visit them here https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/ringwoodtown/teams/210809