Burgess Hill Town win a classic against Wingate – on they day they ‘filled the Hill’
Burgess Hill Town filled the MTC to the brim on Saturday, with 1,492 attending fo the grand opening of a new fan zone, before the team played out a 3-2 victory against Wingate & Finchley.
Entry was free to all and they witnessed a tense end-to-end affair with both sides desperate for the points.
The deadlock was broken quickly after some early pressure from the Hillians, with Bobby Price heading in a corner from George Vorster in off the crossbar after eight minutes.
A poor clearance gave the visitors a pathway back into the game as Ryan Lowe calmly equalised in the 18th minute, only for Kaan Bennett to pounce on a scuffed clearance at the other end to slot into the bottom corner and restore his side’s lead with 21 minutes played.
The young forward, acquired from Lewes, has now scored four goals in five games for the Hillians.
With little time to go, Bennett released Vorster on the counter, who put away a deflected shot to seal the three points for the Hill with his 11th goal of the season coming in the 88th minute.
The two-goal cushion would prove necessary as Romeo Akinola was left unmarked on a corner to fire a bullet header past Michaell Dike.
While the goal proved to only be a consolation, it would lead to a nail-biting finish to the game, with the home side securing an important three points to keep up the pressure in the fight for the playoff spots.
Dike, making his home debut for Burgess Hill, made multiple saves that were crucial to his side’s victory, including a stunning reflex save to stop a header from close range in the 73rd minute.
This performance was enough for match sponsors Frontline Automation to award Dike the MoM award, completing the perfect introduction to the home fans.
Jay Beckford made his first start since recovering from a long-term knee injury sustained at the back end of last season but was unfortunately brought off with a suspected hamstring issue after only 35 minutes, with Ben Pope coming on.
The attendance was a season record, and only the third time this campaign that the MTC has held over 1,000. The support behind the club is growing every week and the impact this has on the pitch is clear for all to see.
Hill: Michael Dike, Hamish Morrison, Bobby Price, Glen Rea, Josh Spinks, Alex Malins, George Vorster, Kieran Rowe (Jake King 91), Chris Whelpdale (Harry Lawson 71), Kaan Bennett, Jay Beckford (Ben Pope 33 (James Stone 90)). Subs not used: Ryan Worrall.