Brilliant Burgess Hill Town reach play-off final, Eastbourne United, Crowborough, Forest Row and Infinity win SCFL semi-finals

They won their Isthmian south east division play-off semi-final at home to Margate amid jubilant scenes and set up a trip to Sittingbourne for Friday’s final, which will have a 7.45pm kick-off.

Goals by Martyn Box and Bobby Price were enough to put themthrough in front of a loud and eventually delirious Leylands Park crowd of 1,439.

Sittingbourne got the better of Merstham in the other semi, winning 4-2, and will have home advantage for the final because they finished higher in the league – runners-up behind champs Ramsgate.

Burgess Hill gained a creditable 1-1 draw at Sittingbourne just a few weeks ago – one of only three home league games the Brickies had not won.

In the SCFL play-offs there were wins for Crowborough and Forest Row – both runners-up in their respective divisions – to put them through to home finals at the weekend. Eastbourne United beat Haywards Heath in the other premier semi, while Infinity will visit Forest Row after winning on penalties at Godalming.

How it unfolded at Burgess Hill:

Margate threatened a couple of times around the quarter-hour mark, while the first big Hill chance fell to Jay Beckford just before the half-hour mark.

But Leylands Park erupted soon after that when Martyn Box gave Jay Lovett and Gary Mansell’s team the lead with a terrific shot which deflected off a defender and in.

The Gate didn’t take that lying down and hit the bar twice in the closing minutes of the first half. They went close again before the break but at the start of the second half it was Hill who looked the more dangerous side.

And on 64 minutes the ground went wild as Bobby Price doubled the lead. Chris Whelpdale might have made it 3-0 with seven minutes left but headed over when well-placed.

It was almost all over in the 88th minute when Ben Pope had an effort at goal but it was brilliantly saved by the Gate keeper. That save didn’t matter – not even when Pope was sent off after an off-the-ball incident – as after seven minutes of injury time, the whistle went and the celebrations started, not that the bosses will have let them go on too long for players now facing a huge game – and test – on Friday.

In the other game two goals in three minutes midway through the second half – scored by Mitchell May and Ryan Kingsford – put Sittingoburne 2-0 up versus Merstham. A late flurry of goals did not alter the course and it ended with the Brickies winning 4-2.

In the SCFL play-offs there were Premier and Division 1 semi-finals.

The premier semis were Eastbourne United v Haywards Heath at the Oval Arena, after those sides ended third and fourth, and Crowborough (who finished 2nd behind champions Hassocks) v Petersfield Town.

In Division 1, second-placed Forest Row hosted Arundel, who ended sixth, while Godalming (3rd) were at home to Infinity. Dorking B finished fourth but are ineligible for promotion so are not involved in the play-offs.

Updates from the SCFL matches:

Eastbourne United-Haywards Heath had kick-off delayed because of queues to get in. Flynn Bolton put Heath ahead three minutes into the second half but United’s James Hull made it 1-1 eight minutes larer.

Bjut Eastbourne’s Arthur Grout sent the home faithful wild with a goal direct from a corner – and that was the winner.

Crowborough took the lead after 18 minutes against Petersfield, Harry Forster the scorer. Marcus Goldsmith made it 2-0 on 75 minutes and that’s how it stayed.

Arundel led 2-1 at half-time at Forest Row, with Cavan Gratwick and Dave Herbert on target for the Mullets after Row scored first. Gratwick set up Herbert for a third early in the second half. Forest Row pulled it back to 3-2 just before the hour then levelled on 79 minutes – 3-3 – and it went to spot kicks.

Forest Row won the shootout to go into Satuday’s final, in which they will be at home to the winners of Godalming v Infinity, which was 0-0 after 90 minutes – with awful scenes at the end with a Godalming player suffering a serious injury, reported on X to be a broken arm.

When the penalties did go ahead. it was Infinity who won.

There was one other play-off of interest to some Sussex fans tonight – and what a game it was.

Boreham Wood hosted Dorking Wanderers in the first National South eliminator. Boreham Wood took the lead through Erico Sousa on 16 minutes but an own goal and a strike by ex-Rocks striker Jason Prior put Dorking 2-1 up in the second half.

Another own goal put Dorking 3-1 up but Wanderers – by now down to 10 men after Jimmy Muitt was sent off – conceded twice as Wood got it back to 3-3. Then in amazing scenes Wood got a winner six minutes into injury time.

Boreham Wood will go to Torquay in the semi-finals while Eastbourne Borough will host Worthing or Maidstone (who play on Wednesday) in the other semi.