Heath travelled the long and winding road on a cool autumn evening for a league match against an in-form Herne Bay who have started the season really well. An unbeaten winning start to their league campaign and with just two defeats from eight games, those coming in the FA Cup and the FA Trophy.

While Chris Simmons Broadbridge Heath side were also unbeaten in the league with four wins and a draw from their opening five matches so this showed all the signs of a close contest and that’s how it proved to be.

Broadbridge Heath started brightly and had the first shot on target on 3 minutes when Zac Young’s left foot effort from distance was deflected wide of the post.
At the other end the lively Emmanuel Robe was a constant threat down the right flank with his pace and close control and he created the first opportunity for the home-side on 12 minutes whipping in a right wing cross to Jacob Lambert who found space just outside the penalty area to strike a left foot shot over the Heath crossbar.

Back to the other end and this time it was Charlie Connell picking up a loose ball some 20 yards from goal and hitting a right foot shot narrowly over the Herne Bay crossbar but it was the hosts who took the lead on 18 minutes with Robe the architect of a move down the right flank ending with a pin-point cross onto the head of Lambert 8 yards from goal who powered a header wide of Heath goalkeeper Alfie Hadfield to give his side the lead.

Heath hit back 10 minutes later when Louis Evans won the ball off a defender some 30 yards from goal, the ball was played out to Lorenzo Lewis on the left who in turn slipped a return pass inside to Evans who struck a right foot shot from 25 yards that beat Tom Wray the Bay goalkeeper at full stretch and cannoned off the foot of the post, flew across the face of the goal where it was turned in from close range by Sam Hards, his first goal for his new club and it remained al square at the break.

The Bears were caught cold in the second half with some supporters still returning from half-time refreshments. The Bay kicked off the half and played the ball down the right flank where it was put out for a throw-in. A long throw followed into the penalty area where Taylor played it into the path of Robe who took the ball to the goal-line before cutting it back to substitute Henry Sinai whose deft touch at the near post steered the ball past Hadfield into the net to regain the lead for his side.

Both sides had chances to add to their score, the Bears best came midway through the half when Sean Terry went on a forward run down the right flank into the penalty area where the ball was played into his path but the excitement proved all too much for the defender as he fired a right foot shot narrowly wide of the post.

At the other end on 75 minutes another Robe attack down the right ended with the winger playing a pass inside to an unmarked Taylor who struck the ball first time but was somehow denied a goal by a superb Hadfield save pushing the ball away for a corner.

Team: Hadfield, Terry (Bejashvili 85), Royall, Solecki (Church 85), Peters, Richardson (Hyde 85), Lewis (Yakubu 60), Connell (Thiselton 70), Hards, Evans, Young.