Bowman on the Road: Daylight for the Hillians

Players thank the supporters after the game.

It might of been a mistake which led to the winner but in truth the Hillians fully deserved their victory.

Read David Marriott's match report hereOur local Ryman Premier League club made the short trip to Leatherhead FC today in fine form.

Seven points from nine reflects huge progression especially when you are at the wrong end of the table. Manager Ian Chapman was able to name an unchanged starting eleven and he had a strong bench to call upon.

The hosts, managed by Jimmy Bullard, are a giant at this level, steeped in tradition and pedigree. However they appear to be struggling of late leading to a rather nervous Fetcham Grove come kick off.

Morning snow flurries petered out to leave a still but chilly afternoon. In perfect conditions it was the hosts who got out the blocks very quickly. Hill seemed to be asleep for the opening half hour. Max Huxter had to make a world class save and they had a shot cannon off the crossbar. Having weathered the storm Ian and his team started to look compact in the middle and enjoyed more touches of the ball. That composure led to a great chance for Tyrell which the keeper made a quality save.

The second half turned into a real RPL classic with both teams looking for three important points. Leatherhead played some wonderful fluent football, flicks, one twos and surging runs down the wings. Most of what they did going forward looked great on the eye. Hillians were much more controlled in their approach. Strong in the challenge, careful with the ball and lots of running off the ball. Jack Brivio is fast becoming a fans favourite around the GES.

That would have been enhanced when he finished off a great move on 51 minutes. Leatherhead equalised soon after but this team is not for panicking these days. They picked up the pace again causing pressure on the home defence. The ever running Billy Medlock charged down a sloppy clearance, rounded the keeper and gleefully slotted a winning goal.

Around 30 fans made the short journey and that effort was well rewarded with the best team performance of the season. Jack and Billy will get all the plaudits but for my money James Richmond is establishing himself as top rated defender and is my man of the match today. The club is now rocking and rolling. Under the guidance of Ian Chapman there is no reason why BHTFC can't start looking up rather than over their shoulder. There is daylight growing for Hill in the Ryman Premier safety race.