Three Bridges show spirit to earn point against Brentwood

Bridges were desperate to get points on the board, but perhaps even more importantly, to rediscover the battling spirit that had been missing during last week's disappointing performance away at Maldon & Tiptree.

Jamie Crellin's men responded positively, showing plenty of fight and determination.

After an even opening, the hosts took the lead in the 12th minute through October's player of the month, Ade Adeyinka. David Przybylo played him through the middle and, from around 20 yards out, he unleashed an unstoppable strike into the net to give Bridges an early advantage.

The remainder of the first half was evenly matched, with Roberts producing several good saves in the Bridges goal. At the other end, the energetic Villavicencio continued to cause problems for the visitors, particularly with a dangerous cross towards Reece Hallard, whose header from six yards narrowly missed the target.

It could have been 2-0 moments into the second half as, straight from the restart, Bridges put together an excellent move down the right. Velvick released Przybylo through on goal, but under pressure from the goalkeeper, his effort narrowly drifted wide.

Brentwood began to pile on the pressure at the other end and found their reward in the 58th minute. Following a free-kick from Reid, Gibbs slotted his effort into the bottom corner to restore parity.

Just a couple of minutes later, Przybylo, who had been a constant handful for the visitors, worked his way past his marker and had another opportunity to restore Bridges' advantage, but his effort narrowly missed the far post.

With Bridges short of options on the bench and several players playing through injuries, maintaining the intensity became increasingly difficult. Brentwood Town took control during the final 20 minutes, but Roberts came to the rescue with two superb saves to deny Cerulli and Sears, while the Bridges players continued to put their bodies on the line to protect their point.

There was late drama in the 94th minute when Reece Hallard chased a ball through on the counter-attack, only for Cripps to handle it as the last man.

The Brentwood defender was shown a straight red card, leaving the visitors down to ten men. However, it came too late to have any impact on the outcome, as the match finished 1-1.

The point represents a much-needed response from Bridges, who are now into a demanding run of three consecutive away fixtures in seven days against Cray Wanderers (Tuesday 10), Welling United (Saturday 14) and Dartford (Tuesday 17).

Three Bridges: Roberts, Irving, Neathey (C), Malone, J. Hallard, Villavicencio (Chambers 87), Adeyinka, Przybylo (Richards 77), Velvick, R. Hallard, Bennett.

Player of the Match – Sam Roberts: An impressive display from Roberts in goal, producing several outstanding saves to keep Bridges in the contest. The young goalkeeper also impressed with his distribution, setting his side on the attack with some excellent kicking. A thoroughly deserved Player of the Match award.