Sittingbourne powered back into the Southeast Play Off places with a seventh heaven road win at Broadbridge Heath which seemed so unlikely as the first half entered its final seconds! 

With nearly half the 121 crowd being travelling Brickies, those who made the trip from North Kent were left frustrated as their heroes huffed and puffed and trailed to Charlie Pitcher’s smartly taken early goal on the break – a goal that indeed seemed to be taking the home side into the break in front.

But when Joe Boachie pounced on defensive hesitation with the first half’s last kick to send the teams in level, the visitors just didn’t look back!

Yes, they were helped by the home side’s mounting defensive frailties throughout the second period, but nothing should take away what a clinical forty-five minutes it was for Sittingbourne – Derek Asamoah scored twice and he was joined on the scoresheet by Jack Steventon, Ben Swift, and subs Herny Sinai and Jean Baptiste Fischer as time and again Broadbridge were carved open… 

No-one could have foretold what was to follow after an extremely tight opening period. Pitcher was brilliantly played through and whilst the Brickies defence waited for a flag that didn’t come, the striker clipped the ball past the advancing Jamie Grosshart with some aplomb to edge Broadbridge ahead. 

The Brickies could not get going and it was from a Sittingbourne corner the home side almost doubled their lead. Keeper Alfie Hadfield held onto Swift’s header, and his quick release saw Pitcher free in the channels only his shot to be well beaten away by Grosshart!

The Brickies keeper then made a terrific save at the base of his right post to keeper Pitcher out again as a long throw fell to his feet. 

With the first half drawing to a close, the visitors levelled out of absolutely nothing – a long Steventon throw wasn’t dealt with by the home defence and Boachie reacted quickest to hammer home his seventh goal since returning to the Club, with referee Price blowing for half time before the home side could restart. 

The boost of that goal spurred Sittingbourne on after the break unquestionably as they came out the better side and took the game to the home side, whose back line lurched from one crisis to another!

Asamoah put the Brickies in front for the first time as he latched onto a great threaded ball from Darren Foxley – who was tireless throughout.

Asamoah seemingly had no right to get to the ball first, but he did as the 44-year-old netted his sixth of the season past an exposed Hadfield. 

Asamoah’s seventh of the campaign didn’t take long in coming and for keeper Hadfield it was a complete disaster as he totally miscontrolled the ball on the edge of the box and the Brickies striker walked the ball into an empty net. 

The second half just went from bad to worse for the home side as Steventon smashed home the fourth when another corner wasn’t cleared before his central defensive partner Swift started and finished the move for number five. He won the ball well on halfway and fed Harvey Smith. The sub beat one man before sending over the almost perfect cross for Swift to meet and power past a totally wrong-footed keeper. 

That goal came as the clock struck ninety minutes, but the Brickies still weren’t finished as Smith and Jaden Crowhurst combined brilliantly for Sinai to join Boachie and Asamoah on seven goals for the season side footing home with ease.

And there was still time for the icing of the cake when Fischer lobbed a hopelessly stranded Hatfield from forty yards to complete a truly remarkable forty-five minutes for Reece Prestedge and his side!

Seventh heaven for the Brickies but more importantly a place back in the Southeast Play Off places still with games in hand on their immediate rivals!  

BROADBRIDGE HEATH – Hadfield, Wooster (Gibson), Terry, Napper, Hyde, Richardson, Doughty (Mann), Romain, Pitcher (Bejashvili), Evans, Young.

Subs – Marino, Peters.

SITTINGBOURNE – Grosshart, Hoyte, Graham, Woodward, Steventon, Swift, Foxley (Crowhurst), Theobalds (Hamill), Asamoah (Smith), Boachie (Sinai), Anthony (Fischer).

REFEREE – Mr. Price