Burgess Hill Town enjoy more late drama as they seal win against Welling United

For not the first time this season, the Hill looked doomed to defeat in normal time, only for Ben Pope to come up with a bit of magic to strike confidently into the bottom corner and light a spark of hope after 90 minutes.

With a whopping 10 minutes of added time at the end of the second half, Chris Whelpdale, fresh off scoring his first goal of 2026 in midweek, received the ball out wide before cutting in past two defenders onto his right foot and slotting into the net in the 99th minute to seal the win and send the fans into a state of ecstasy.

The Hill had previously gone behind in the 70th minutes, with Sam Smith drilling a low free kick in the bottom corner to initially give the Wings the lead.

The game had a very tense feel, with regular stoppages preventing either side from building any useful momentum. These constant interruptions were noted by the officials, causing the referee to be more cautious of any gamesmanship and resulting in the large amount of additional time that allowed Burgess Hill to win the game.

Whelpdale’s last gasp winner was the 8th goal the Hill have scored in the league this season in 2nd half injury time, with a whopping 12 points gained from these alone. This goal also cements the forward as Burgess Hill’s top scorer again, his 12th goal putting him ahead of George Vorster’s 11.

Joint manager Gary Mansell credited the victory to the strength in mentality of his players, saying:

“It’s just the character of the group that they never stop.

“Dominating the ball like we did today helps later on in the game when the other team tire and we’ve still got a bit left in the legs.”

The sponsor for this game was Only With Love Brewery, Roger and his guests were tasked with deciding on a Man of the Match, with plenty of performances to choose between after a dramatic ending, the award was given to Glen Rea for a composed all-round performance in hectic circumstances.

This result propels Burgess Hill up to 6th place thanks to a run of four wins on the bounce and some favourable results elsewhere, while Welling United remain in 20th place in the relegation zone and four points from safety.

Burgess Hill’s next game is an away day as they travel to Ramsgate for an exciting occasion in the hunt for the playoff spots.

The Hill are back at home on Saturday 21st March to host Chatham Town in what will surely be another huge game at this stage of the season.

Hill: Michael Dike, Hamish Morrison, Bobby Price, Glen Rea, Josh Spinks, Alex Malins (Jay Beckford 80), George Vorster, Kieran Rowe, Ben Pope (James Stone 90+10), Chris Whelpdale, Kaan Bennett (Harry Lawson 90+11). Subs not used Jake King & Ben Parkinson.

After a breathtaking finish to Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Welling United, I caught up with Gary Mansell to get his thoughts on the performance, the constant stoppage time drama, and a good run of form as we approach the business end of the season.