Heath manager Chris Simmons made five changes to his starting line-up for the visit of East Grinstead Town in the Velocity Cup on Tuesday evening which included Louis Evans making a welcome return to the club after a short spell at Merstham.

After a slow start the game suddenly came to life on 14 minutes when Heath’s Zac Young received a long diagonal pass from Brad Peters and advanced down the right towards the goal before unleashing a low right foot shot from 20 yards that Grinstead’s 16 year old goalkeeper, Lewis Nason, making his senior debut, saved brilliantly low to his right, pushing the ball wide of the upright for a corner.

Minutes later Jake Lawrence received a low Sean Terry cross from left but had his goal-bound shot blocked by a defender the ball came back to the Heath striker who turned sharply but saw his effort fly narrowly wide of the post.

At the other end a corner was cleared to Grinstead’s Zhechko Zhelyakov 20 yards from goal who tried to lob Heath goalkeeper Alfie Hadfield but the ball sailed over the crossbar.

The deadlock was broken on 28 minutes when Peters picked up the ball on the halfway line and went on a run all the way into the Grinstead penalty area where he was challenged for the ball which fell kindly into the path of Lawrence who drilled a low right foot shot into the bottom left corner for his first Broadbridge Heath goal.

Heath doubled their lead a minute before the break when Luke Bejashvili played the ball forward over the defence allowing Lawrence to run onto, with Nason out quickly the Heath striker took the ball wide of goal before playing it back to Bejashvili who took a touch with his right before firing a right foot shot into the net for his fourth of the season.

Both sides had early chances in the second half to add to the score. For the visitor’s Omar Folkes headed a corner straight at Hadfield while at the other end Bejasvili twice had shots from the edge of the box saved on the line by Nason.

The deficit was reduced on 58 minutes when a long drop kick from Nason was won by Folkes on the halfway line, the ball was played out wide right to his strike partner who advanced forward before playing the ball across the face of goal to Folkes who drilled a right foot shot past Hadfield.

Things got even better for the visitor’s 9 minutes later when they were gifted an equaliser when a Grinstead long throw-in from the right ended with the ball being gathered under no pressure by Hadfield who immediately threw it out wide right to Luke Staight in the right-back position, unfortunately the Heath defender wasn’t looking and he wasn’t expecting the pass, Grinstead’s Alex Filipe intercepted the pass and played it straight back across the goal to Oliver Rawlins to score from close range bringing the score level.

Heath were back in front on 74 minutes when a free kick was awarded wide on the left of the penalty area, Bejashvili stood over the ball and hit a curling right foot shot into the top right corner giving Nason no chance of stopping.

Heath continued in the search of goals and on 80 minutes the visitor’s were reduced to ten when Jake Lawrence got in behind the Grinstead defence and Tom Cadman brought the Heath striker down on the edge of the penalty area denying Lawrence a goal-scoring opportunity.

Young stepped up to take the resulting free-kick which was saved brilliantly by Nason diving low to his right, Lawrence pounced on the rebound by was denied again by Nason with the ball coming out to Elliott Romain who made sure hitting the ball wide of the prostrate goalkeeper to make it four on the night and take Heath through to Round 3.

Team: Hadfield, Staight, Terry, Napper, Lowery (Hyde 77), Peters, Bejashvili (Dowdell 77), Evans (Connell 77), Lawrence (Adam 80), Romain, Young (Abudiore 80).