Sittingbourne lost their unbeaten away League record as they crashed to a stirring second half at Three Bridges.
After a first half where the Brickies hit the bar through Ayman El-Mogharbel, Chris Harris was inches away from converting a brilliant Donvieve Jones centre before seeing a curling effort brilliantly turned aside by keeper Leo Anderson.
The game turned, just as Sittingbourne’s last away game had on a penalty decision five minutes after the break that Ibrahim Jalloh first won and then scored. And as the visitors pressed for an equaliser, Noel Leighton netted a second for the home side and when Adam Adam’s shot hit the top corner, the Brickies unbeaten away record was gone.
It was billed as the division’s game of the day as third travelled to fifth, needing just a point to guarantee Play Off football at Woodstock Park for the very first time.
And it was the visitors who enjoyed the clearer chances in the early stages; on ten minutes Ayman released a fierce drive that beat Anderson all ends up before crashing to safety off the bar. In the very next attack Jones did brilliantly down the right and his tempting, inviting centre was agonisingly just in front of the lunging Harris.
Harris was to go even closer on the half hour with the move of the half. A long clearance from keeper Bobby Mason was flicked on by Harris for Harry Hope. Hope did really well to control the ball and was able to flick it inside back to Harris, whose first time effort was magnificently tipped around the post.
Moments later came the day’s – if not the whole season’s – strangest substitution when home skipper Brannon O’Neill was replaced as his partner had just gone into labour! And it was just the anxious Dad to be was heading to the car-park, the home sides had their best first half chance which saw Leighton played in behind the defence and as Mason raced from his line, the striker lifted the ball over the keeper but also over the bar.
The game was turned on its head by a decision from referee Torz-Brown five minutes after the break. Jalloh battled into the Brickies box and as he and Jones leaned into each other, both ended up on the ground, and the official immediately pointed to the spot. Jalloh picked himself up and sent Mason the wrong way. The home side now had something to hold onto and they set Sittingbourne the task of getting back into the game.
Sadly, Ryan Maxwell’s side couldnt rise to the occasion as they were caught on the break with nineteen minutes left on the clock – Leighton being played in down the right and he rolled the ball into the net beyond Mason’s despairing dive.
Sittingbourne were rocked back and Mason was the hero – doing superbly well to keep out Kevin Rivera low drive – and when a poor back header fell short of the keeper, he was out quickly to deny Leighton.
A third goal did arrive though in the penultimate minute and it just about summed up the Brickies day. A ball into the visitors box saw the clearance fall to Adam whose first time shot was sliced yet it flew past a motionless Mason and into the top corner.
THREE BRIDGES – Anderson, Ferreria, Wollard, Villavicencio, Jalloh, O’Neill (Euba), Leighton, Ghannam (Adam), Rivera, Donaghey, Difka
Subs – Hanslow, Agun, Bendall
SITTINGBOURNE – Mason, Jones, Black, Arthur (Bentley), Uyi, Regis, Ayman (May), Ilic (Piorkowski), Hope, Parish. Harris
Subs – Tyrie, Snell
REFEREE – Mr Torz-Brown