Chichester City suffer late Hertfordshire heartbreak

There were two changes to the starting XI. Skipper Rob Hutchings returned at left back with Curtis Da Costa partnering Ben Pashley in the heart of the Chi defence.

Chi started brightly enough with Mo Jammeh winning a handball off the Scholars’ Joe Re 60 seconds in. Tom Lethbridge’s cross then went out for a goal kick. Then Jammeh picked striker Jimmy Wild who fired over a fierce delivery that no one got to.

Hutchings bombed up the wing and Jammeh won a corner which Ethan Prichard took and the hosts cleared.

Joe Moore won a couple of midfield challenges before Harry Brant got flagged offside and Kieran Magee played one long to Wild. Emmett Dunn tried to find Wild but the striker was offside.

Joe Clarke conceded a corner and Nana Kyei had a shot. Chi fell behind in the 15th minute when Steve Cawley latched on to a loose ball and rifled beyond Magee, who saw it late.

It might have been all square seconds later as a brilliant Moore shot was saved somehow by Laurie Shala. Brant received a booking for a foul on Clarke.

Magee was forced into a save by Bailey Stevenson and Isaac Bello opened things up with a great break – and Wild found the net with his 17th of the season.

Prichard was fouled but the referee overlooked it – then Stevenson had another go and Re mishit one which Magee claimed. Jammeh got a block in to snuff out a Prosper Keto pass.

A Magee slip almost let Potters Bar in but he recovered and a lovely cross from Dunn to Wild pulled a wonderful stop out of Shala. Next, Prichard had a shot blocked after good work by Hutchings and another decent move resulted finally in a Bello cross to Wild who could not get a touch.

A turning point came when Ayo Shogbeni received his marching orders for pulling Wild back as the last man. Wild stepped up to take the penalty and calmly put Chi ahead in the 40th minute.

Jammeh gave away a free kick for a foot up on David Hicks and Magee gathered a Kyei cross. Hutchings conceded an unnecessary corner which Hicks delivered and the visitors headed away but a super strike from Stevenson made it 2-2 on the half time whistle.

Prichard won Chi a corner three minutes in which came to nothing, then the Scholars took the lead through Cawley after a swift break. Stevenson shinned one in the following attack and Chichester had a Prichard corner and a Bello cross cleared.

Captain Ronnie Henry was well in on Prichard and on the hour mark Kyei drilled one wide and Jammeh had a a good effort at the opposite end.

Lloyd Rowlatt and Finlay Chadwick replaced Jammeh and Moore on 62 with Prichard picking up a yellow card a couple of minutes later. Keto’s cross was turned out for a corner off Magee from which Henry’s free header went out for a goal kick.

Dunn made it 3-3 in the 73rd minute with a super finish after a delicious pass. Bello spurned an opportunity to hit one moments later.

Da Costa was booked for a foul on Kyei and Shala did well to deny Prichard. Magee had a long ball to contend with which he cleared but Prichard was offside.

Mo Kamara replaced Kyei with 10 to go and two Potters Bar chances got blocked.

A long range attempt from Chadwick was saved by Shala and Hutchings saw his cross cleared and Prichard played one in but no one was there.

Fage-Burgin broke Chi hearts when he scored the winner from close range right at the bitter end.

City: Magee, Dunn, Hutchings, Moore, Da Costa, Pashley, Bello, Clarke, Wild, Jammeh, Prichard. (Horncastle, Munt, Rowlatt, Chadwick)