Bridges hit Lancers play off hopes- and boost their own

With the matches featuring the top three all rained off, top billing went to the Sussex derby between former leaders Three Bridges and fourth place Lancing- and it also had the first goal. Bridges, with only one win from their previous nine matches, have been a shadow of their former selves of late, but they went ahead after only nine minutes, Noel Leighton continuing his fine season with his twenty first goal- and only two minutes later they were two up, this one an own goal. The Lancers chances departed when Leighton added a third with nineteen minutes left, although they did get a goal back, Jack Meeres scoring six minutes into added time. Bridges weren’t happy with a three-one win, so somehow they found time for a fourth, sixteen year old George Falzon making headlines two minutes later.

Bridges are seventh, six points away from a top five spot, whilst the Lancers have a six point gap over sixth place Chichester City.

Chichester City (pictured, courtesy of the club and photographer Ollie) played host to Sevenoaks Town, the hosts looking to close the gap between themselves and the top five and make it five games unbeaten- and the side in green opened the scoring nine minutes before half time, Jimmy Wild making the breakthrough with his fourth goal in four matches. It turned out that Wild had scored the only goal of the game, but not many of the folks watching on minded that as City closed to within three points of the play offs.

Sheppey United needed three points against Merstham to get back into the play off hunt, but it was the Moatsiders who broke the deadlock, Lee Lewis scoring the opener on sixty four minutes. It turned out that as well as being the opener, Lewis’s goal was the only one, and it delivered a fine win for the visitors who climb to fifteenth.

Ashford United welcomed Horndean to Homelands, and the visitors struck first just before the half hour, Freddie Chester with the opening goal. The Nuts and Bolts flew out of the traps after the break, and it was a matter of seconds before Bradley Ryan brought them level- and then they went ahead with sixteen minutes left, Tolulope Jonah completing the turnaround. The Nuts and Bolts quickly made victory certain, Harvey Brand making it three-one with seven minutes left, and ended the day in tenth.

Broadbridge Heath welcomed Littlehampton Town in a Sussex derby, and after forty five goalless minutes the first of added time in the first half saw the Bears ahead, Jake Lindsey opening the scoring. Eleven minutes from time the chances of a Golds revival became unlikely, Ryan Blackpool making it two-nil from the spot, and the Bears are fourteenth- two places better off than their visitors and eight clear of the bottom two.

Erith & Belvedere and Herne Bay met in Welling, both sides desperate for points, albeit for entirely different reasons. It looked like we’d have a goalless draw, and then two minutes from time the Deres struck, Cameron Andrews with the goal. Could they hold out? No, they couldn’t- four minutes into added time Gil Carvalho found an equaliser for Bay, and Dave Martin was dismissed for the hosts. The Deres remain in the bottom two, a point behind Phoenix Sports- whilst Bay hold onto fifth spot, but have Chichester City only three points behind.

Phoenix Sports very much needed a victory over Burgess Hill Town at Mayplace, and they tend to be very good at defeating Hill- five wins and only one defeat from their previous seven meetings- so would have been confident going into this one. Sports went ahead just before the break, Ryan Hayes with the opener, but Hill drew level just after the hour mark, Marcus Allen with the equaliser. Parity lasted until the seventy seventh minute, when Ade Lahan restored Sports lead, but again Hill hit back, and right at the end Reggie Ward found an equaliser. This time, that was that.

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