Broadbridge Heath travelled the short distance to Gorings Mead, Horsham for a local derby FA Cup match against our close rivals Horsham YMCA, a team we’ve been playing pretty regularly against ever since Heath were founded in 1919.

The hosts have had a strong start to the season winning three and drawing one of their opening 5 matches and scoring 15 goals in the process, while the Bears were hoping to bounce back from the opening league day defeat at Sittingbourne.

The home-side started well keeping possession and moving the ball around but that final pass to open up the Heath defence was missing and gradually the Bears got on top.

The opening goal came 10 minutes before the break when Heath were awarded a throw-in from the right some 20 yards from the goal-line. Skipper Kyle Sim came up to take the throw and launched the ball high to Tad Bromage, standing close to the penalty spot, the Heath defender powered a header goal-wards to Ben Aubrey who diverted it past the YMCA goalkeeper Louis Sullivan to give the Bears a 1-0 lead at the break.

Heath doubled their lead on 52 minutes when Sal Marino found Callum Dowdell with a great pass and he in turn played a pass through the YM defence to the on running Mason Doughty and he took one touch with his right foot before firing a left foot shot under the advancing Sullivan for his first of the season.

The hosts reduced the deficit 5 minutes later when Kyle Sim was harshly judged to have fouled former Heath junior player Luke Roberts and Dean Lovegrove stepped up to convert the resulting spot kick.

Heath continued to push forward in search of goals with Adrian Todd cutting in from the right and shooting just over the crossbar, Callum Dowdell having his shot deflect wide for a corner and from that Dowdell’s in-swinging corner crashed against the crossbar before being cleared to safety.

The pressure finally told with the Bears adding a third with 11 minutes remaining and it was another Sim long throw that caused problems in the YM defence, with Oli Leslie and a YM defender challenging for the ball, neither won it, both fell to the ground and the Match Referee deemed the challenge on Leslie unfair and awarded the Heath striker a penalty which he duly dispatched past Sullivan to make it 3-1 to the Bears

In the closing minutes the hosts were awarded a free kick wide on the right which was floated into the far post avoiding everyone and striking the outside of the post before being cleared by Charlie Parmiter but it remained 3-1 win for the Bears who progress into unknown territory, a First Round Qualifying match to be played on Saturday 31st August.

Simmo said afterwards: It was a much improved performance from last week but still a long way off where we need to be, YM are a very good young YM side who are confident after a great start to the season but in the end i think we deserved to win it.

MOM was Callum Dowdell

Team: Anderson; Sim, Chesworth, Buchanan, Bromage, Marino, Dowdell (Archard 89), Parmiter, Aubrey Hay 66), Evans (Leslie 66), Doughty (Todd 66).