Heath Survive Scare against Pirates
Jay Lovett’s blues welcomed Bexhill United to Hanbury Park Stadium in hopes of extending their winning run to five games in all competitions. Bexhill were without a win in their last three. Considering their poor run of form in their previous matches, Bexhill’s first-half performance showed organisation and clinical finishing which put them two goals ahead by the break, Tom O’Shaughnessy and James Stone the scorers for the Pirates.
Michael Uwezu entered the referee’s book for dissent early in the first half, and the Heath were forced into a change prior to Bexhill’s second goal, Dan Cadman leaving the play with injury and Hayden Skerry coming onto his favoured left-hand side.
Suspected hairdryer treatment from Jay Lovett and Matt Bubb at halftime was necessary if the Heath were to turn this game around. They emerged for the second half with a mountain to climb, but also a completely different attitude to the first half. The second and third changes for the Heath, Geard, making his home debut, and Abudiore replacing McCarthy and Goldsmith.
It would be Hayden Skerry’s left-footed strike to spark the belief for the Blues, the ball taking a deflection or two on its way towards goal but finding the roof of the net in the 70th minute. Those who remember Dobell’s first goal for the club, against Three Bridges last season, a very similar strike as he hit the ball on the spin and fired in an equalizer. With just 8 minutes left on the clock, Heath had all spirit restored, rushing the ball back to the centre circle to get the game going again.
A quick shuffle at left back after the goal, Minty the man to replace Wadhams. The minutes ticking away but still enough time for that man again to come and get a winner, Dobell played in behind on the left side, with time, and space and buried the ball past the Pirates goalkeepers from the strangest of angles.
The Heath fans were in bedlam, celebrations behind the shed end extended ones as five minutes of extra time were added to the end of the match, the Heath held on with Tom Gilbert brought on to see the game out, Uwezu who was suffering from cramp the man to leave the action.
The full-time whistle went, and the Heath fans were unsurprisingly over the moon with the turnaround they had just witnessed. The Heath now face Lingfield at Hanbury Park Stadium on Saturday at 3 pm.
