Broadbridge Heath Under 23s eased their way into the Sussex County Cup Quarter-finals with a 4-0 home win over fellow Southern Combination League side Haywards Heath Town on Thursday night.

Broadbridge Heath manager Chris Ellis fielded a strong side for the match with Luke Bejashvili and Sean Terry both in need of match fitness and both starting for the Bears.

After a steady start the game came to life on 12 minutes when Adam Al Meskin played an in-swinging corner from the right, Jamie Collyer powered a header goal-wards from 6 yards which was blocked by his own skipper Harry Kent on the goal-line, the ball came out to Ben Cooksley who struck a left foot shot from close range that came off the underside of the crossbar and out to Micah Frazer who hit a left foot shot that was saved by Town’s goalkeeper Charlie Roberts diving low to his left, the ball came back off the keeper and out to Cooksley who fired in another shot with his right foot that was blocked on the goal-line, back out to Collyer whose low right foot shot from 12 yards came off a defender before finally being gathered by Roberts.

Broadbridge Heath continued to apply pressure on the visitor’s defence but were denied by Roberts until the 26th minute when Bejashvili received the ball just outside the Haywards Heath penalty area and played it square inside to Frazer who played a pass between two defenders allowing Al Meskin to run through from the left and fire a low left foot shot past Roberts for his first goal of the season.

The Bears doubled their lead 6 minutes later when Frazer won the ball in the centre of the park and played it out wide right to Collyer who in-turn found Luke York who drove to the goal-line before playing a low right wing cross that was turned in by Bejashvili from close range.

Broadbridge Heath added a third a minute before the break when Al Meskin was brought down in the penalty area and the defender picked himself up to convert the resulting spot kick with a low left foot shot past Roberts. The Bears made it 4-0 at the break when Collyer went on a run down the right flank, taking the ball to the goal-line before cutting it back into the path of Bejashvili who struck a first time right foot shot past Roberts to bring the half to a close.

The Bears started the second half well but it was the visitor’s who came closest to scoring on 55 minutes when Harry Isherwood received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and struck a fierce right foot shot that cannoned off the post before being cleared away and 5 minutes later Isherwood was denied a goal when he ran at the Broadbridge Heath defence and struck a fierce right foot shot that was well saved by the Bears goalkeeper Stan Williamson and it remained 4-0 at the final whistle.

Team: Williamson, Terry, Al Meskin, Buchanan, Duneclift, Cooksley, York, Kent, Bejashvili, Frazer, Collyer. Subs: Wraight, Rawlins, Hillier, Louw.