Eastbourne United 1-0 Broadbridge Heath

Heath welcomed back Jamal Sultan and Dean Wright who both missed the midweek cup match with Haywards Heath but were without Jake Holmes (hamstring), Marlon Maxwell (working), Shaun Findlay and Dan Sandell who were both late withdrawals due to illness, so a much changed Broadbridge Heath side travelled to The Oval to play 5th placed Eastbourne United.

Heath started well and within the first minute good link up play between Dean Wright and Tim Martin ended with Wright shooting just wide of the post and minutes later Martin was close again with a curling right foot shot from 18 yards that drifted just wide of the upright. As if Heath’s injury problems weren’t bad enough they lost Dean Wright on 9 minutes when the Heath striker turned his ankle on the uneven surface.

The home-side went on to create the better openings in the first period but most of their goal efforts were from distance and didn’t trouble keeper Michael Chester who had a fairly comfortable 45 minutes. The best chance of the half though came 13 minutes before the break when Jahobi Maher took on the United defence and hit a right foot shot from the edge of the penalty area which Phil Hawkins the United stopper saved at a stretch.

Both teams had early chances in the second period, United captain Adam Davidson came close with a powerful header from a corner which came off the post and fullback Jack Troak was unlucky with an effort that went inches wide of the Heath post. For the Bears Tim Martin was put through on goal but Hawkins was off his line quickly to block his shot and Ollie Moore hit a screamer from 30 yards that skimmed the Eastbourne crossbar.

The only goal of the game was scored in the 73rd minute under controversial circumstances. A United player drilled the ball at point blank range into Jamie Robinson who was less than a yard away, the referee interpreted that the ball had been deliberately handled by Robinson and awarded United a free kick in a dangerous position right on the corner of the Heath penalty area. United brought all their big defenders forward for the free kick which was played across the goal and converted from close range by the Eastbourne skipper.

More controversy was to follow in the 82nd minute when a through ball was played into the penalty area for Tim Martin to chase, a United defender was ahead of the Heath striker and Hawkins came sprinting off his line, from the sidelines you could almost anticipate what was going to happen as the defender got a touch to the ball and then collided with his keeper allowing the ball to run through into the net (see photo). Martin turned away to celebrate the own goal but his joy soon turned to dismay as once again the Referee had blown his whistle, only this time it was for an alleged foul by Martin on the defender, claiming there’d been a big push on the defender.

After the game Heath Assistant Manager Steve Whiting was very disappointed with both decisions, he said “Jamie (Robinson) was in touching distance of the Eastbourne player so how on earth could that possibly be a deliberate hand ball” for the disallowed goal he said “Tim (Martin) said at worst he may have touched the defender but there was certainly not enough contact to warrant a foul against us”.

Team: M. Chester, Clark, Robinson, S.Chester, Balfour, Weller, Moore, Sultan, Wright (Copestake 9), Jahobi Maher (Josh Maher 75), Martin.