With both teams losing their Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round fixtures it meant this would have been a free Saturday without a game for Heath and Herne Bay had this fixture not been brought forward from the original date of October 4th.

Heath manager Chris Simmons was forced to make one change to the starting line-up with captain Byron Napper missing the game through injury allowing new signing Charlie Connell to make his starting debut for The Bears.

The first half was a very even affair with the visitor’s best chance coming on 25 minutes when the lively Kamani Mcfarlane fired a left foot shot across the face of goal, wide of Heath keeper Alfie Hadfield but striking the foot of the post before being cleared to safety.

At the other end Heath’s best chance came on 39 minutes from an unusual source of centre-half Brad Peters receiving the ball in his own half and going on a run, exchanging passes, not once but twice and ending with the defender being denied a goal by Bay’s goalkeeper Joe Coleman diving at the defenders legs to smoother his shot, unfortunately for Peters the collision also saw his afternoon come to a premature end, being forced off minutes later, with a leg injury.

Just before the break, Bay’s Scott Heard picked up a yellow card for an unnecessary challenge on Hadfield while he came out to collect the ball; from that free-kick Hadfield played the ball long into the Bay half of the pitch where Heard again came in late with a tackle on Elliott Romain, an easy decision for the match Referee to make showing Scott a second yellow quickly followed by a red card and the visitor’s were down to ten.

With the extra man in the second half Heath had their chances to break the deadlock but the Herne Bay side marshalled by their Player/Manager Liam Friend were well organised, defended well and in numbers, stood firm and were always a danger on the counter-attack.
Zac Young came close on 52 minutes for The Bears with a low right foot shot that flew narrowly wide of the post, minutes later Matt Hay’s header from a Szymon Kowalczyk cross from the right was saved by Coleman and Coleman was in action again on 58 minutes to save another Kowalczyk shot from 16 yards.

At the other end a rare attack saw Bay’s skipper Tyler Christian-Law send a free kick from 20 yards sailing over the crossbar and Rhys Wyborn tried his luck with a left foot shot from distance that flew wide of the mark.

Heath continued to create good openings, Kowalczyk had another pop at goal but that too was off target and Young’s right foot effort from 20 yards sailed over the crossbar.

Into the closing stages Heath were almost made to pay for those missed chances when Mcfarlane broke away down the left and played the ball up to Harvey Brand who went on to fire a right foot shot straight at Hadfield and it ended all square at 0-0.

Team: Hadfield, Staight, Terry, Marino, Lowery, Peters (Kowalczyk 43), Bejashvili (Dowdell 67), Connell, Romain (Junior Ze 67), Hay (Andall-Gibbons 67), Young.