Broadbridge Heath met South Park (Reigate) for the second time in 4-days when the teams met at The Air Engineering Stadium on the 18th August. For both teams it was their first league match of the season having already played matches in the Emirates FA Cup and Isuzu FA Trophy.

Broadbridge Heath started on the front foot and just like they did a few days earlier they kept the South Park goalkeeper Daniel Bracken busy; Charlie Connell was first to have a shot on target on 12 minutes when he powered in a right foot shot from 18 yards straight at the keeper and 5 minutes later it was Mason Doughty’s turn to test the keeper with a right foot shot from close range saved comfortably on the goal-line by Bracken at the near post.

Midway through the half and Doughty was again on target with a left foot shot from distance that Bracken saved low to his left but the South Park keeper could do nothing to stop the opening goal on 29 minutes when Pemi Yakubu was fouled some 30 yards from goal. Doughty stepped up to take the free-kick and the Heath striker hit a right foot shot over the four-man wall and into the bottom left corner of the net.

Heath doubled their lead on 35 minutes when Ben Royall received the ball from Matt Hay some 25 yards from goal, the Heath defender took a touch with his left foot and powered in a right foot shot that rebounded off the chest of a defender back into the path of Royall who slipped it past a second defender before finishing with a left foot shot from close range to give The Bears a well-deserved 2-0 half-time lead.

It didn’t take long for The Sparks to reduce the deficit with just 2 minutes of the second half played a South Park player played a pass between two Heath defenders to Craig Mcgee coming in on the right of the penalty area who drilled a low ball across the face of goal to Bradley Wilson arriving late at the far post for a tap-in.

The visitors were now on the ascendency and looked dangerous with every attack while Heath’s dominant first half play appeared to have deserted them and it was no real surprise when South Park equalised on 69 minutes with a move down the right flank, the ball was played up to George Vincent on the edge of the penalty area with his back to goal who immediately slipped a pass into the path of Jerry O’Sullivan who fired a right foot shot from 12 yards past Heath goalkeeper Alfie Hadfield.

Both sides went in search of the winning goal with Heath substitute Luke Bejashvili coming the closest with a right foot shot from distance that Bracken saved brilliantly and bravely diving to his left and colliding with the upright in doing so but it remained all-square at the final whistle which was probably the right result with Heath comfortably winning the first half and South Park doing likewise in the second period.

Team: Hadfield, Cotton, Royall, Marino (Thiselton 84), Peters, Salaam (Terry 65), Yakubu, Connell, Hay (Bejashvili 74), Doughty, Evans.