For this league match against Horsham Crusaders, Broadbridge Heath travelled to the home of Loxwood Football Club, one of my favourite grounds for an evening kickoff, nestled amongst the tall firs, lit up by the bright floodlights with dark shadows emerging between the trees making it quite an eerie place on a cool but windy autumn evening.

Broadbridge Heath started brightly and almost scored in the opening minute when Max Plinston took an in-swinging corner from the right and delivered the ball high into the danger area, caught by the strong swirling winds avoided all the players and went narrowly wide of the far post.

However the Bears didn’t have too long to wait when just minutes later Heath goalkeeper Stan Williamson played a long drop kick down the left channel which was collected by Plinston who played a diagonal pass into the feet of Nathan Kennedy-Tamplin who took a couple of touches to get the ball under control and finish with a low right foot shot past Crusaders goalkeeper Connor Wicks.

Heath continued on the ascendency and doubled their score midway through the half when Kennedy-Tamplin received the ball with his back to goal and played it into the path of his skipper Harry Kent wide on the right of the penalty area who in turn played it across the 18 yard line to Jamie Collyer who dispatched a left foot shot past Wicks for his 3rd goal of the season.

The hosts, playing mainly against the strong winds, were handed a life-line in first-half added time when a Heath defender under-hit a back-pass to Williamson and Jaxon Punnell nipped in to poke the ball past the Heath goal-keeper and went on to run the ball into an empty net.

Crusaders, now playing with the wind in their favour, started the second half well with Miles Straker hitting a right foot shot from the edge of the penalty just over the crossbar and William Rann testing Williamson’s with a left foot shot from 25 yards that the Heath goalkeeper saved down low to his right.

Rann was put through again midway through the half and advanced towards goal before firing a left foot shot across the goal and wide of the post as Broadbridge Heath struggled to get their normal flowing football together.

Rann continued to be a thorn in the flesh for the Bears again finding space down the left to fire a left foot shot into the side netting.

At the other end a rare chance for the Bears came on 70 minutes when a free kick was awarded just outside the penalty area and wide on the left, Collyer stepped up to take the kick striking a fierce right foot shot which was held by Wicks on the goal-line and the half remained goal-less with Heath somewhat fortunate to come away with all the points.

Broadbridge Heath Under 23’s next match is a home league game at the Air Engineering Stadium against Alfold Under 23’s on Thursday 10th September, Kick Off at 7.45.

Team: Williamson, Bedir, Plinston, Wraight, Davies, Cooksley, Cina, Kent, Louw, Collyer, Kennedy-Tamplin. Subs: Devlin, Hayes, Guest, Sheriff, Duneclift.