Vorster clinches late winner for Burgess Hill Town at Canvey Island
Travelling Hillians fans were made to wait until the final moments to see some serious action as George Vorster’s injury-time penalty gave Burgess Hill Town the three points at Canvey Island on Saturday.
There was very little in the way of chances throughout the game – before Harry Lawson was hacked down for the referee to award a dramatic late penalty to the visitors.
While other players argued over the decision, Vorster kept a cool head and was able to send the goalkeeper the wrong way to deliver win for his side.
The young dynamic winger has now scored 10 goals this season, putting him alongside Chris Whelpdale as the Hill’s top scorers for the campaign.
Lawson had started to chip away at the stubborn Canvey defence just moments before the penalty, bursting forward to attack a loose ball and charge through on goal, only to be wiped out by Gulls defender Kenedi Dariri in an action that resulted in a red card and allowed the Hill to pile on the pressure in search of a winner.
Burgess Hill had to survive a short onslaught from the home team as they threw everything at salvaging a draw, but despite this, the Hill were able to grind out a gritty victory and keep Canvey Island at the foot of the table for another week.
Canvey had previously won the reverse fixture against Burgess Hill, coming out as 2-0 victors at Leylands Park back in November with two goals from Max Fiddes.
The on-loan Dover striker is still the Gulls’ top scorer despite leaving the club in November and going on to enjoy loan spells with both Burgess Hill and now Cray Wanderers.
This result moved Burgess Hill up to eighth place in the Isthmian Premier division and was their second win in a row following the 2-1 home win versus Wingate & Finchley.
Burgess Hill face Wingate & Finchley again in an away game that has been postponed multiple times, so another long away trip awaits on Tuesday night. They are back at home on Saturday (March 7) to host Welling.
Hill: Michael Dike, Hamish Morrison, Bobby Price, Glen Rea, Josh Spinks, Harry Lawson, George Vorster, Kieran Rowe, James Stone (Chris Whelpdale 64), Ben Pope, Kaan Bennett (Jake King 90+6). Subs not used: Alex Malins, Ben Parkinson, Thomas Sekyere.