It’s woe at Wingate as Bognor Regis Town’s relegation is confirmed

The Nye Camp outfit went into the encounter in London needing to win all three remaining games and hope Dulwich Hamlet lost their three matches to be in with a very slim chance of staying up.

In actuality, Hamlet’s 2-1 win over Canvey Island at Champion Hill was enough to maintain their status in the division even though this capitulation in front of 254 fans at the Maurice Rebak Stadium would have secured their survival anyway.

The visitors didn’t look like they had the requisite fight in them to pull off what would have been a miraculous escape act and went down with a bit of a whimper after what has been a disastrous campaign.

They looked resigned to their fate in a poor first half in which the visitors went 2-0 down – and although the side managed by Jamie Howell and Michael Birmingham rallied after the break there appeared to be no real conviction throughout the team that they could engineer the required victory.

Camilo Restrepo opened the scoring after just seven minutes and Cain Keller double the hosts’ lead on 44 minutes leaving the Rocks with an uphill task going in to the break. It was made a more difficult proposition given that imposing central defender Harvey Rew was forced off with a calf injury on 37 minutes, to be replaced by Harvey Whyte.

Rew will miss the two remaining games of the season – at home to title-contenders Horsham in the Sussex derby at the Nye Camp on Bank Holiday Monday and the final encounter at also-relegated Hendon next Saturday. Hastings United have been relegated too and join Bowers & Pitsea as the four clubs who have failed to survive this term.

Tommy-Lee Higgs, top scorer with 23 goals, had provided a glimmer of hope when he slotted home a penalty on 63 minutes after makeshift striker Dion Jarvis was fouled in the box but try as they might Bognor couldn’t find enough punch to trouble the home side effectively.

Just before the spot-kick Higgs had a decent shot well saved by Fergal Hale-Brown and Jasper Mather hit the bar as the clock ran down but other than that the home keeper wasn’t really troubled. As Bognor pushed on in search of late goals, the home side capitalised on their desperation and added to their tally. Alex Osei made it 3-1 on 93 minutes and five minutes later Ore Bello wrapped things up.

Demotion wasn’t down to this loss, though, rather it resulted following an injury-plagued campaign that saw Robbie Blake leave his job as gaffer in late November of last year and former players Birmingham and Howell come in as joint bosses to try to revive fortunes. And although there was an upturn to a degree it was always going to be a big ask to mount a successful bid to beat the drop.

And so, it proved to be the case and the Rocks will now play their football in step four, either in the Isthmian South East division or the South Central division. The hope is, of course, that the managers will be able to rebuild in the summer and bounce back sooner rather than later.

For now, though, they must accept their fate along with their charges yet try to instil enough confidence in their group to come through the last two games relatively unscathed.

Rocks: Ryan Hall, Calvin Davies (C), Dion Jarvis, Preston Woolston, Harvey Rew, Chad Field, Lennie Smith, Doug Tuck, Jasper Mather, Tommy-Lee Higgs, Freddie Chester. Substitutes: Harvey Whyte -- Harvey Rew (37'), Ashton Horstead -- Lennie Smith (46'), Liam Murphy -- Freddie Chester (83'), Dan Gifford, Matt Burgess.