Bridges close the gap on the top five

Three Bridges look to have got themselves firmly back on track, taking their goals tally to seven in two matches and moving to within three points of the top five with victory at Horndean last night.

Bridges went ahead at Five Heads Park seven minutes before half time, Nabeel Ghannam opening the scoring, and they put daylight between themselves and the Deans when Bryan Villavicencio made it two with twenty five minutes left. The hosts got back into the game when Zack Willett halved the arrears eight minutes later, but Horndean’s chances perhaps evaporated when Ethan Robb saw red five minutes from time, and Bridges quickly capitalised, Noel Leighton’s twenty third of the season made it three-one in added time, ensuring that his side kept their play off hopes firmly on track.

Another side who have play off hopes are Hythe Town, who of late must have considered changing their name to Hythe Town Postponed, such have been their problems with the surface at Reachfields. The Cannons welcomed Littlehampton Town, and took the points courtesy of a Johan Caney-Bryan goal after eight minutes- his eighteenth of the season. Hythe are eleven points away from the top five- but have five games in hand, so you wouldn’t want to count against them coming good in the closing stages of the season for a second campaign in a row.

Merstham welcomed a Burgess Hill Town side reinforced with a collection of new signings, and It was Hill who made the early running, a Kieran Rowe goal on twenty seven minutes leaving the travelling faithful happy at half time. They didn’t stay happy after the break, however, as Korrey Henry took control of the match and fired a twenty six minute hat trick, his goals arriving on fifty four, sixty four and eighty minutes and earning three points for his side, as well as the match ball for himself.

A late red card for Conrad Honore rubbed salt into the wounds for Hill, who are three points and one place ahead of their hosts in twelfth place.

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