Broadbridge Heath welcomed Crowborough Athletic to the Air Engineering Stadium for this midweek clash between two former Southern Combination League clubs but it was Bears manager Chris Simmons side that picked up the points with a narrow 2-1 victory.

Crowborough came into the game on a four game unbeaten run and they started on the front foot forcing a corner in the opening minutes which saw the ball come out to the lively Rushaar Samuel-Smikle who hit a right foot shot high and wide of target.

On 18 minutes George Hutcheon won the ball off a Heath defender wide on the right and played it inside to Harry Forster who in-turn played it into the path of Findlay Chapman who struck a fierce right foot shot from the edge of the penalty area that was saved brilliantly by Alfie Hadfield diving across to his left to push the ball out for a corner.

The half continued that way with the Crows pressing high up the pitch and preventing Simmons side from playing their free-flowing football and it was no real surprise when the visitor’s took the lead on 24 minutes when Marcus Goldsmith won the ball wide on the right and just inside the Broadbridge Heath half, the Crows skipper played a long diagonal right foot cross into the penalty area to Harry Forster who leaped like a salmon to place a looping header over Hadfield and into the net.

On 30 minutes another Crows interception this time by Hutceon winning the ball wide on the right on the halfway line and playing it forward to Samuel-Smikle who advanced towards goal before he cut inside onto his left foot and hit a shot just wide of the far post.

With 5 minutes of the half remaining Forster received the ball in the middle of the park and played it forward to Goldsmith who then picked a pass to Samuel-Smikle who hammered a right foot shot just wide of the post and it remained 0-1 at the break.

Whatever was said in the Broadbridge Heath changing room at half-time certainly had an impact on the game with the Bears more lively, sharper and passing far more accurate than before and they equalised on 64 minutes when Ben Royall received the ball in the left back position and drove forward before playing the ball to the feet of Sam Hards who played a pass between two defenders to allow Zac Jeanes to get away down the left flank and the Heath forward took the ball to the goal-line before playing a pass across the face of goal to Charlie Connell in acres of space for a simple tap-in.

The game was changed completely within a minute of the restart when Sal Marino played a diagonal pass from the halfway line down the left channel to Jeanes who played it inside towards Sam Church but a defender intercepted the pass but only managed to play it straight to Sam Hards some 14 yards from goal who dispatched a low left foot shot that flew under the diving Charlie Holmwood to give the Bears the lead.

The Bears continued to create chances with Lewis Hyde heading a Jeanes free kick just wide of the post, Zac Young trying a long range shot that was gathered comfortably by Holmwood and a goalmouth scramble saw the ball ping around the 6 yard box but the game ended with a win for the Bears in what can best be described as the proverbial ‘game of two halves’.

Team: Hadfield, Richardson, Royall, Holden, Hyde (Salaam 77), Peters, Young (Rawlins 90), Church (Marino 70), Hards, Connell, Mann (Jeanes 60).