In the Isthmian League Division One South East Broadbridge Heath welcomed Merstham to the Air Engineering Stadium in this rearranged match on Saturday 5th September. Both sides had made a good start to their league campaign and both were hoping to extend their unbeaten run to another week.

The visitor’s had the first sight of goal on 11 minutes when a free kick was awarded some 30 yards from goal and Lee Lewis stepped up to strike a right foot shot that drifted wide of post without troubling Heath goalkeeper Alfie Hadfield.

Heath gradually got into the game and forced Merstham’s goalkeeper Rob Tolfrey to make his first save of the afternoon on 18mins when Zac Young floated a free kick in from the left to the far post to Brad Peters who powered a header straight into the arms of Tolfrey.

Just minutes later Young received the ball close to the halfway line and played it first time in between Merstham defenders to send Ben Royall running through on goal, Merstham’s centre-back Matt Drage came across to challenge arriving late on the scene and flattening the Heath defender in the process to end a certain goal-scoring opportunity. Surprisingly the match referee only deemed the offence worthy of a yellow card much to the relief of the away side.

A real let-off for the visitor’s midway through the half when Louis Evans won the ball off Drage wide on the right of the penalty area and played it inside to Mason Doughty who hit it first time with his left foot from 16 yards but the ball crashed against the cross bar and came out to Evans who struck a left foot shot which was blocked by a covering defender and cleared away.

Broadbridge Heath finally took the lead on 36mins when Young received the ball on the halfway line and played a pass over the head of the last defender allowing Doughty to run through with pace, dribble the ball around Tolfrey and poke it into the empty net with his right foot.

Things got even better for the Bears 4mins before the break when a ball was played down the left flank to new signing Sam Hards who drove into the penalty area before picking out a pass to Doughty who in-turn played it into the path of Evans to rifle home a right foot shot from close range to make it 2-0 at the break.

Neither side created too many clear cut chances in the second half, For the Bears Royall struck a left foot shot from distance over the crossbar and Evans tried his luck with a left foot shot wide of the post. While at the other end Hadfield was called into action, low to his right to save Gill Carvalho’s right foot effort from 25 yards.

With 15mins remaining a late tackle by Tito Salaam on Clem Asiedu saw the Heath player shown a straight red card and the visitor's took full advantage of the extra man to reduce the deficit on 87mins when a free kick on the right outside the penalty area was floated in to the near post to Aaron Jenkins to score from close range.

With Merstham pushing everyone forward in search of the equaliser they were caught on the break on 94mins with Young receiving the ball wide on the right of the halfway line and playing a pass inside to substitute Lorenzo Lewis who in turned played the ball between two
defenders to Pemi Yakubu in acres of space and the Heath striker coolly slotted the ball past the advancing Tolfrey to secure the match and the points for the Bears.

Team: Hadfield, Cotton, Royall (Terry 70), Solecki (Thiselton 50), Peters, Salaam, Hards (Lewis 74), Connell, Doughty (Yakubu 71), Evans (Hyde 77), Young.