Clanfield’s ‘false confidence’ in Hampshire Premier League stalemate with Sway at Westleigh Park

Due to groundsharing at Hawks’ Westleigh Park, their home Senior Division game with Sway was one of just a few non-league matches in the Portsmouth region to survive Jack Frost’s first weekend appearance of 2022/23.

James Barker put Clanfield into an early lead but Sway hit back to take the lead midway through the second period.

Morgan Cripps was entrusted with the responsibility when the hosts were awarded a penalty following a handball, and he duly converted.

Lee Blakeley’s side are now unbeaten in HPL action since losing 4-2 at Overton on September 17.

‘We started well but that probably gave us false confidence it was going to be easy,’ said Blakeley about the Sway draw.

‘It allowed them to build confidence and take the lead.

‘We weren’t really at it but the best thing for me is that we didn’t lose.

‘It was like a basketball game for the last 20/25 minutes, a draw was probably a fair result.’

Blakeley welcomes back Ollie Long for this coming weekend’s HPL trip to Paulsgrove, who Clanfield pipped 4-3 at Westleigh Park last month.

But nine-goal top scorer Fred Penfold remains sidelined, serving the third of a six-game suspension.

‘It’s all about trying to get some consistency,’ said Blakeley. ‘We seem to play well for two games and are then off it for two.

‘The chopping and changing isn’t helping us, I’m having to make three or four changes every week.

‘Teams like Colden Common and Locks Heath seem to have the same 14/15 nearly every week - that’s massive at this level.’

There were only four HPL matches across the two divisions to take place last weekend - and all were played on artificial pitches.

It was the same in the top flight of the Wessex League, where the only match played was on Stoneham’s 3G surface.