Three Bridges up and running - Broadbridge Heath have mixed week

Three Bridges 2 VCD 0

This was an excellent victory which made up for the rather dismal display at Sevenoaks three days earlier. All the Bridges players seemed determined to put that defeat behind them against a VCD side fancied to do well this season, with great performances by youngsters such as Billy Irving and Dan Ferreria, whilst the more experienced players like Brannon O’Neill and Kieron Pamment gave great balance to the side.

Haywards Heath v Lancing in pictures.

The only shame was that there were two red cards shown just before the half hour. It seemed initially just two players vying for possession, but the inevitable pushing and shoving match followed before Bryan Villavicencio and Joe Bingham were dismissed.

Bridges were already ahead by then thanks to a 16th minute strike from eight yards by Pamment following a lovely low cross by Camron Lawson and determined play in the box by Noel Leighton. Curtis Gayler almost doubled the score with a free kick that was parried away by giant keeper George Kamurasi, whilst at the other end Leo Anderson brilliantly tipped over a strike by Youssef Bamba.

The second half started perfectly for Bridges with a goal inside four minutes, Lawson and Leighton both causing havoc in the VCD defence before Kevin Rivera drove home from a similar distance to Pamment.

Rivera saw another effort blocked by Kamurasi with the ball running wide to Lawson, whose cross nearly produced an own goal. VCD rarely troubled a solid Bridges defence, and three points were well deserved for the home team at the final whistle.

Bridges Man of the Match - Billy Irving.

EASTBOURNE UNITED 2-0 BROADBRIDGE HEATH

With the temperaturesoaring, a few Heath players picked up some knocks in the previous match at Littlehampton so some forced changes were made to the starting line-up with Jamie Chesworth making his starting debut and Mitchell Clark making his first start of the season in the centre of midfield.

United had the first chance of the game when George Taggart hit a right foot shot that dipped just over the crossbar but the deadlock was broken a minute later when a cross from the left was bundled into the net from close range by Aaron Hopkinson.

Heath fought back and had a great chance to equalise on 20 minutes when Renato Carvalho played a 1:2 with Jamie Taylor on the edge of the United penalty area, the ball was played into the path of Carvalho but he sliced his right foot shot wide of the mark. A few minutes later Taylor tried his luck with a shot from distance but that too was off target.

Carvalho was given another opportunity for a shot at goal on 36 minutes following a great through ball from Charlie Weller but again the shot failed to trouble the keeper.

The home-side made it 2-0 minutes before the break when a cross from the right was met by the head of Max Thompson who glanced a header that went in at the far post and it remained 2-0 at the break.

Heath had the majority of the possession in the 2nd half without really troubling the Home goal and then against the run of play Alfie Hadfield made a good save on 75 minutes but then needed treatment before continuing in goal, we later found out that he’d broken his elbow in the incident but despite the injury he continued in goal until the end.

In the closing minutes Mason Doughty went close twice, on 79 minutes a defender slipped allowing Mason to drive at goal but he pulled his shot wide and just minutes later the Heath striker hit a shot just over the bar.

So the 3 points go to United, Heath were nowhere near our best and our first league defeat of the season but injuries are mounting up so the physio room is going to be very busy over the next week or two.

Heath boss Chris Simmons said: Yes we had a few injuries but that wasn’t the reason we lost as we were still strong but mistakes at the back and poor quality in the final 3rd in this league doesn’t win you games, especially down at places like Eastbourne United!

ROFFEY 0-3 BROADBRIDGE HEATH

The Heath players have had a relatively good start to the season with two wins from three league games played, but the hard surfaces have certainly had an impact on player injuries and the busiest people at the club have been physio Bex and manager Chris Simmons who has been signing players to cover the number of absentees.

With Alfie Hadfield braking his elbow during the match at Eastbourne United on Saturday it meant both senior keepers were now side-lined, so Simmo was delighted to capture the signature of 17 year old goalkeeper Jasper Sheik, dual-signed with Woking FC, this was followed shortly after with the signing of Ryan Brackpool from Leatherhead to bring some more experience into the team.

Heath started the game well and Jack Frankland was unlucky in the first minute with a right foot shot from distance that went narrowly over the crossbar and minutes later Louis Evans rifled a left foot effort just wide of the Roffey upright but the hosts defence stood firm denying wave after wave of Heath attacks until time added-on in the first half when a great passage of play down the right ended with Carvalho setting up Charlie Weller for a strike from the edge of the Heath penalty and the midfielder placed his right foot shot wide of the keeper into the bottom right corner.

The second half continued in a similar fashion as the first and Heath doubled their score with another fine team goal on 51 minutes, the move involved eight players and ten passes ended with Frankland crossing from the right into the box where Ben Cooksley nipped in between two players to score from 8 yards.

The hosts didn’t give up and Sheik proved his class on 69 minutes with a cracking save to deny the Roffey No. 9 who hit a fierce left foot shot at goal from 30 yards.

Heath completed the scoring with 10 minutes to go and again it was a move down the right with Zac Young playing a long ball up towards Cooksley who bullied his way past a defender to slot under the advancing keeper.

A good all round performance from The Bears, but credit to the young Roffey side who batted throughout.

MOM was Jack Frankland

Simmons said: "It was great to put Saturdays disappointment behind us so quickly, we started the game really well with a high tempo pace but the Home side made it tough to break through, but after the 1st goal we looked fairly comfortable and now we have a good few days to get all the injuredplayers fit and back firing!"