Basingstoke Town’s season ended on an anticlimactic note with a 1-0 defeat in the North Hampshire Cup final to Alresford Town.

Alresford were deserved winners and could’ve taken the lead on multiple occasions before Kristian Andonov fired the game’s only goal into the roof of the net with ten minutes to go while a ‘Stoke side containing a mixture of first teamers and Academy players struggled to create clear cut chances.

The Wessex League side coped better with a difficult pitch and ‘Stoke needed a goal-saving block from Nathan Smart and a scrambling save on the line from Paul Strudley to remain level at half-time. Andonov was presented with two more golden chances early in the second half, wildly slashing a volley wide from close range before forcing Strudley into his second good save with a fiercely hit strike from fifteen yards that was pushed over the bar.

The winner finally arrived as the clock ticked towards eighty minutes as Andonov broke free behind the Basingstoke defence once again and lifted his strike above the advancing Strudley, sparking wild celebrations in the Alresford camp.

With little time remaining, Basingstoke pushed forward for an equaliser to take the game to penalties but Alresford keeper Callum Smart remained unbeaten on the night as his team secured the trophy.