Chris Harris’s seventeenth goal of the season has given Sittingbourne back the advantage in the hunt for a home semi-final in the South East Play Offs with the only goal against struggling Hythe Town.
With one win in their last twelve games and now nine defeats in a row, the wheels have most definitely fallen off the Cannon’s season and with acting manager Alex Flisher in his last game before leaving the Club, everything seemed against the home side – they even had to play defender Sam Flisher in goal.
So, it was perhaps easy to see that the visitors had nearly all the chances as they eased to possibly the most comfortable single goal win of this or any season.
Ayman El-Mogharbel was the first to test the rookie keeper as he clipped a post with an early free-kick and then Harry Hope was denied by a good save as Flisher got down well to turn an effort round the post.
Irishman Correy Davidson who has recently returned to the Brickies line up went close with a cross shot that Flisher did well to claw out from under the bar, and when Davidson had an effort kicked away by the keeper, following up Hope crashed the ball against the underside of the bar!
The visitors kept plugging away looking for the gap for the advantage and Harris headed a Bagasan Graham cross a yard wide.
The home side’s problems were the compounded when referee Hamilton showed Josh Stirman a straight red card presumably for something he said, and moments later the Brickies finally had their reward and the lead – another deep cross was brilliantly met by Harris only for his header again to come back off the bar.
The striker though was quickest to react and despite Flisher’s best effort the rebound went into the roof of the net.
It was a half time lead that Sittingbourne were not to lose despite the best efforts of the home youngsters as the second half became a battle on an exceedingly difficult pitch – Harris having the half’s clearest two chances in a terrific all-round performance as first Flisher pushed away a low cross before the striker thudded the ball straight at the keeper.
The game ended on a sad note for the young Cannons as in stoppage time Kian Garlinge received a second yellow card with the reason being baffling to most of the crowd!
Not the greatest game or the Brickies’ best performance, but at the business end of the season, it is the results that matter, and Ryan Maxwell and his players and supporters journeyed home up the M20 in the knowledge that one more win will more than guarantee a home Play Off game for the first time in the club’s history.
HYTHE TOWN – Flisher, Garlinge, Rowland (Allan), Webb (Steventon), Wisson, Liam Smith, Barnes, Emburey, Caney-Bryan, Stirman, Howard
Subs – Ethan Smith, Trespaderne, Schaffer
SITTINGBOURNE – Mason, Tyrie, Uyi (Bentley), Graham, Thomas, Regis, Davidson, Hope (Black), Harris, Ayman, May (Osei-Owusu)
Subs – Snell, Ilic
REFEREE – Mr Hamilton
Pictures supplied by Paul Golding.