Hayter keeps Hawks on track for treble

The former AFC Bournemouth striker netted a first-half double in his side’s 2-0 win over Fareham Town at Cams Alders, keeping his Lee Bradbury’s troops’ treble hopes on track.

To their credit, the Wessex League premier division hosts worked hard to restrict the visitors opportunities.

But they couldn’t stop the Hawks from advancing to the final and will face AFC Portchester at Fratton Park on Monday, May 7.

Bradbury admitted his side weren’t at their best, but it relishing the chance of winning another piece of silverware.

The boss said: ‘It’s going to be nice to finish our season with a cup final at Fratton Park.

‘We weren’t very convincing but were nursing a lot of tired, weary bodies.

‘We approached it well, however, kept a clean sheet and are happy to be in the final. Fareham were very competitive, pressed us and made us work hard.

‘It was a good win for us and a job done.’

The newly-crowned National League South champions, who also won the Hampshire Senior Cup this term, dominated possession from the offset.

Home keeper Del Harding did well to cut out a low cross with Hayter lurking in behind.

The Reds were doing well to prevent the visitors from creating any clear-cut chances.

On 20 minutes Harding came to their rescue with a low one-handed save to keep out an angled shot from Bradley Tarbuck.

But the breakthrough came three minutes later after Andreas Robinson was pulled down in the area.

Hayter stepped up and sent the Fareham keeper the wrong way with his penalty.

The 39-year-old marksman almost scored a second but Harding made another good stop.

But Hayter made no mistake two minutes before half-time when he curled a shot into the far corner.

George Davis almost stunned the Hawks at the start of the second half with a thumping header from a corner but his effort crashed against the crossbar.

The Reds continued to make it difficult for their opponents by getting players behind the ball and harrying the visitors at every turn.

Despite continuing to dominate possession, the Hawks failed to extend their lead further and the game ended 2-0.

Meanwhile, Horndean brought the curtain down on their Wessex League premier division campaign with a 7-0 romp over Newport at Five Heads Park

AFC Portchester ended their league season with a 4-1 loss at Brockenhurst and Baffins Milton Rovers won 3-1 against Bemerton Heath.