Points a plus for Painter in '˜dreadful' Broabridge Heath display

Steve Painter hit out at a '˜dreadful' performance despite his Broadbridge Heath side completing a league double over Worthing United.
Southern Combination League, Premier Division: Broadbridge Heath v Chichester City. Manager . Pic Steve Robards SR1718917 SUS-170814-131531001Southern Combination League, Premier Division: Broadbridge Heath v Chichester City. Manager . Pic Steve Robards SR1718917 SUS-170814-131531001
Southern Combination League, Premier Division: Broadbridge Heath v Chichester City. Manager . Pic Steve Robards SR1718917 SUS-170814-131531001

Having previously beaten the Mavericks 7-0 in the away game in the Premier Division back in August, this was a much closer encounter and the visitors can feel unlucky not to have taken something from the game.

The Bears started brightly with Tom Bold testing the handling of United’ keeper Matt Evans with a fierce drive from 20 yards that the keeper did well to hold on to and minutes later Devon Fender got behind the right full-back to power a shot at goal from the angle which Evans saved low with the hand of an outstretched left arm pushing the ball out for a corner.

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On the half hour, Jake Holmes chipped a ball across the face of goal to Rob Godfrey whose header from eight yards was saved by Evans on the goal-line, but the keeper could do nothing to prevent the Bears from taking the lead seven minutes later.

Devon Fender received the ball wide on the left, beat two United players, after a drop of the shoulder, emerging with the ball at his feet, hotly pursued by one of the opposition players, but with the Worthing defence dropping back it allowed Fender space to rifle in a right-foot shot from 25 yards that flew past Evans into the net giving Heath a narrow half-time lead.

Both teams lacked any real fluency in the second period, the visitor’s looked slightly the better side and had a great chance to equalise midway through the half when a ball was played between the two Heath centre-backs to Luke Robinson but Conor Evento, deputising for the unwell Michael Chester, sprinted off his line to block the shot.

Manager Steve Painter said “That was awful, I don’t think the pitch helped because it was really heavy going but our second half performance was dreadful, the goal was well taken and Conor made a good save but the only other positive was picking up the three points.

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“We’ll have to play much better than that on Tuesday when we play Littlehampton Town but we should have Michael, Stuart (Chester) and Curtis Griffin back.”

Heath: Evento, Frankland (Holmes 13), Robinson, Findlay, Flack, Bold, Weller (Petersen 80), Godfrey, Fender, Martin, Cousins (Kutaa 85).

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