This was ‘The Bears’ third league visit to ‘The Greenbox Stadium’ home of Ashford United with the two previous matches on the 3G pitch having resulted in wins for Chris Simmons side by 0-1 and 0-3 but for this game the Heath manager travelled without his leading goal-scorer Zac Young out through injury, Louis Evans suspended and Lewis Hyde also nursing an injury suffered in the home defeat to Margate a week earlier.

Heath started the better of the two sides had a lot of possession in the final third but on 9 minutes it was the hosts who scored first with the old route one football, the ball was received in the right back position and hammered straight down the middle of the park to Oli Bate who outran the Heath defenders, took the ball around goalkeeper Stan Williamson and fired into an empty net.

Minutes later Heath’s Yuvi Mann played a defence splitting ball that allowed Charlie Connell to run through on goal and as the former Heath goalkeeper Roshan Greensall came out to narrow the angle, Connell hit a low right foot shot past Greensall only to see the ball come off the inside of the post where it was cleared away to safety.

Heath continued to create the better chances with Greensall making a comfortable save on the goal-line to deny Luke Bejashvili and midway through the half Mason Doughty was fouled some 25 yards from goal, Bejashvili stepped up take the kick blasting it into the five man wall and Doughty was on it quickly to fire off a right foot shot that again found Greensall on the line.

Heath deservedly equalised on 29 minutes and it was another cracker, this time Bejashvili running with the ball and hitting a right foot shot from 25 yards that flew past the Ashford goalkeeper giving him no chance of stopping. But it was the hosts who went in at half-time with the lead when on 41 minutes a cross from the left was headed home from close range by Harrison Hume to make it 2-1 at the break.

Heath could feel somewhat unlucky to be behind at the break but there was no doubt about who the better side was in the second period with the hosts adding a third 5 minutes into the restart when a Samuel Hasler long throw into the penalty area found its way to Bate 18 yards from goal who struck a low left foot shot through a crowded penalty area into the bottom left corner.

Ashford scored their 4th on 58 minutes when a quick throw-in wide on the left to Louis Collins caught the Heath defence napping; Collins took the ball to the goal-line where another mix-up in the Heath defence allowed Hume to score with the simplest of goals.

Just 3 minutes later and it was 5-1 when Bate advanced down the right and played the ball square in to Collins 16 yards from goal, his first attempt was blocked, the ball was reworked before finding its way to Bate who completed his hat-trick striking a right foot shot from 12 yards under Williamson.

The substitutes were brought on by the Heath management in an attempt to restore some control on the game which worked for a while but deep into time-added on and another mistake at the back allowed Kareem Isiaka to steal the ball and unselfishly play it into the path of Noah Carney to score from 8 yards.

After the match Heath Manager Chris Simmons posted the following on social media “Nowhere near good enough again today, embarrassing defending and I can only apologise to the travelling supporters for that performance! Tuesday we need a response!”

And on Tuesday ‘The Bears’ welcome Hassocks FC to The BodyMould Community Stadium”. Kick Off 7.45

Team: Williamson, Staight (Wooster 65), Terry (Gibson 60), Marino (Romain 65), Richardson, Peters, Bejashvili (Pitcher 62), Napper, Doughty, Connell (Hay 72), Mann.