The Lancers are having their best ever season in the Isthmian League and are currently in real contention to earn a play-off place and a chance for promotion to the Premier Division so Heath Manager Chris Simmons knew it was going to be a tough game and he made two changes to the starting line-up, with Tad Bromage back at the heart of the defence and Ben Aubrey stepping in for the unwell Mason Doughty.

The visitors started the game well and on 7 minutes Heath were thankful to goalkeeper Alfie Hadfield making a fine save low to his left to deny Nicholas D’Arienzo’s long range shot and to then get up to smother the follow up from Jack Louis Meeres.

The opening goal for Lancing came on 18 minutes when a long ball was played down the left allowing the impressive Destiny Omofonean Ojo to take it towards the goal-line before hitting a left foot shot straight at Hadfield, the ball flew off the Heath keepers body, into the air and into the path of Charlie Bennett who headed home from close range.

3 minutes later and Hadfield was forced into yet another save when Ojo played the ball into Lukas Franzen-Jones in space some 16 yards from goal but the Lancing striker’s shot was too close to the Heath keeper who saved well but comfortably.
The Bears gradually got into the game and had their first attempt on target on 30 minutes when Jamie Chesworth struck a left foot free kick from 20 yards straight into the arms of Louis Rogers the Lancers goalkeeper.

The equaliser came 6 minutes before the break following a lovely flowing move involving six Heath players and starting from the back with skipper Ryan Brackpool and ending with Ashley Mutongerwa’s attempt on goal that was saved by Rogers but the ball fell kindly for Sam Lemon who struck it first time with his right boot into the empty net.

Into time added on and the visitors restored their lead when Knory Scott received the ball in the right back position and drove forward through the midfield, played a 1:2 with Bennett before picking a pass to Franzen-Jones who this time made no mistake to hit a right foot shot wide of Hadfield to give his team the lead.

With the last move of the half another Cheworth free kick was headed back across the face of goal by Tad Bromage to Lemon whose header was blocked on the line, the ball came out to Ryan Brackpool who directed it goalwards only to be denied by another Rogers save on the goal-line and that brought an end to the half.

The second half was a far more even affair with neither keeper being trouble too much. Heath were awarded a penalty in the 67th minute when a long free kick was played forward to Charlie Parmiter who was brought down in the penalty area, the match referee immediately pointed to the spot only to be over-ruled by the eagle-eyed assistant who’d spotted that the Heath forward had wandered into an offside position.

With 12 minutes remaining Matthew Hay took a left side corner which resulted in the ball pinging around the Lancing penalty area until it found its way to Bromage who had time to pick his spot with a right foot shot from close range to bring the scores level.

Team: Hadfield, Sim, Chesworth, Penfold, Bromage, Brackpool, Lindsey (Berry 63), Buchanan, Aubrey, Mutongerwa (Hay 72), Lemon (Parmiter 51).