PETERSFIELD Town manager Mark Summerhill was full of pride after his side almost upset National League outfit Eastleigh last Tuesday night.

The Rams lost 1-0 at Eastleigh in the third round of the Hampshire Senior Cup, and Summerhill was delighted with his side’s efforts.

“We were phenomenal,” said Summerhill. “I couldn’t ask for any more from the lads.

“We decided to play slightly differently. We usually play a high-energy, pressing style, but we dropped off and had Marvin Orepo up front on his own so we could use his pace on the break.

“We knew we would have to concede possession, and we conserved our energy. We then pressed when Eastleigh were in our half. We limited them to two chances in the first half, and they scored one of them.

“We caught them on the counter attack two or three times in the first half and had the better chances. We continued in the same vein in the second half and had plenty of chances to score. We were inches away from an equaliser.

“A 1-0 defeat way exceeded my expectations. We kept it simple and didn’t over complicate things.”

Part of Tuesday night’s match was played in a thick fog, and Summerhill felt the conditions weren’t ideal.

“The fog did affect the game,” he said. “Their keeper was moaning he couldn’t see the ball. The referee talked to us and I did ask if it was safe.

“If you had said to me we would be 1-0 down in the 80th minute and were on top I would have bitten your hand off. They were taking the ball in the corners at the end of the game, and we created some chances. Our lads ran themselves into the ground.”

Summerhill felt the night was a special one for the club as a whole, and he praised the noisy away following.

“It was a great night for the club,” he said. “We brought a good following and they made a great atmosphere. It shows how far we’ve come.”

Summerhill admitted he wasn’t disappointed after Saturday’s game at Whitchurch United was postponed.

A waterlogged pitch put paid to Saturday’s match, and the Rams boss admitted he feared his side may have suffered after their exertions at Eastleigh last Tuesday night.

“I wasn’t disappointed that Saturday was called off,” said Summerhill. “The midweek game had taken its toll on us and an away trip to Whitchurch on a heavy pitch was not what we needed.”