Merstham 0-1 Broadbridge Heath

When the two sides met at The BodyMould Stadium two months ago the game ended in a thrilling 6-6 draw but conditions on the day were atrocious with high gusty winds, and heavy rain but it was certainly an entertaining match for the supporters, would the rematch at Merstham be equally entertaining?

Well the game got off to a slow start but that all changed on 9 minutes when Heath’s Matt Penfold was harshly judged to have committed a foul on Lee Lewis in the ‘D’ just outside the penalty area, Lewis got up to take the resulting free-kick and drilled a low right foot shot that was heading into the bottom left corner of the net before a superb diving save by Heath goalkeeper George Evans stopped it on the line and Penfold cleared away the danger.

Minutes later the action was at the other end when Jamie Buchanan sent Mason Doughty through on goal and the Heath striker hit a right foot shot that Merstham keeper Endurance Johnson did equally as well pushing the ball away for a corner.

The Buchanan/Doughty link combined again midway through the half when Doughty was brought down by Dean Gunner just outside the ‘D’; Jamie Chesworth stepped up to take the free-kick and drilled a low left foot shot under the diving Johnson into the bottom left corner, another classic strike from the Heath defender.

The hosts reacted well with Evans forced into another good save on 25 minutes from Tobi Ogundega firing in a low shot through a crowded penalty area, and minutes later a cross from the left saw Korrey Henry rise above the Heath defence to head just wide of the post.

The home-side were awarded another free kick on 30 minutes with Lewis again stepping up to take the kick which struck a defender and flew just wide of the post. The pressure continued with Henry going close with a right foot effort from distance that flew just over the Heath crossbar.

The Bears were still looking a threat on the counter-attack and a corner was won from one such move; Chesworth taking the kick from the right which was headed just wide of the target by Tad Bromage but the ball was soon back at the other end for a Merstham corner, taken by Lamont and swung in to Dean Gunner who powered a header goalwards which was saved by Evans at the near post.

A couple of minutes later and a case of the old “Route One football” almost worked for the hosts when a long kick straight down the middle from Johnson was flicked on by Henry’s header into the path of Lewis, who maybe took it a touch too wide but he powered in a fierce left foot shot which Evans again saved at the post.

Despite the Merstham pressure Heath almost made it 2-0 in the 38th minute when Louis Evans received the ball wide on the right outside of the hosts penalty area and played it inside to Charlie Parmiter who laid it off first time to Penfold to strike a pile-driver from 30 yards that had Johnson at full stretch to show his class with a superb diving save but somehow the score remained 1-0 at half-time.

No surprise that the second half did not live up to the excitement of the first with both sides far more conservative in their approach and both defences looking far more solid.

The hosts best chance of the half came on 80 minutes when Charlie Greenwood got behind the Heath defence then drilled his shot into the side netting and for Heath, Kyle Sim headed inches over the crossbar from a Buchanan left sided corner.

So another really entertaining match between the two sides, unsurprisingly George Evans was awarded the Man Of The Match for his outstanding first half performance.

Next up see Horndean visit the BodyMould Stadium on Saturday 6th April, Kick Off at 3.00.

Team: G. Evans, Sim, Chesworth, Penfold, Bromage, Brackpool, Lindsey (Dowdell 64), Buchanan, L. Evans, Parmiter (Lemon 83), Doughty.