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Bosham and Charlwood play out five-goal thriller in the rain - picture special

True autumn weather hit the south coast, this week, with driving rain and wind greeting the players onto the park at Walton Lane for a match that Bosham really needed to get a result it to turn around their flailing fortunes against an improving Charlwood who had had a late start to the campaign due to off the pitch issues.

The conditions, both under foot and above, made for hard going for the players but Bosham settled the better from the off with the- relatively, young looking blues team finding life difficult in the early going. Jamie Liddell, the most season player for the blues, did look sharp though and in just the second minute managed to get through on goal and round Harley Redman. With the net beckoning the ball, somehow, Nick Edgington, slid by on the wet surface to divert the ball to safety and keep the game scoreless.

Photographer Chris Hatton was at the game - a selection of his pictures are below.

Conor Crabb then tried his luck, from distance, for the reds but keeper, Zac Rice, was more than a match for the effort, but, on the quarter hour, there was nothing he could do to prevent Bosham from surging into the lead. Kieran Hartley picked the ball up some thirty-five yards out and, catching Rice slightly off his line, pitched in the perfect lob into the back of the net to put the Robins’, deservedly, in front.

Bosham needed to maintain their positive attitude and with the electric Alex Barnes a constant threat the possibility of more goals always looked possible. However, the Reds seemed to have forgotten about the danger that Liddell possessed for the visitors and, on the half hour, made the reds pay for their lack of finishing to draw the blues level. Having found the ball at his feet, just outside the Red’s penalty area, he was afforded far too much time to pick his spot which he did expertly, past the despairing dive of Harley Redman in the Bosham goal.

Bosham were content with things at the break but needed more and certainly got it just a few minutes after the resumption. With the supporters huddled under the club house awning and the Robins attacking that end of the ground. Will Lintott produced a moment of magic to put the reds back in front. With the ball wide on the left-hand side, Lintott sneaked inside a defender and unleashed a perfect curler as you could ever wish for into the far top corner leaving Rice rooted to the spot.

Bosham’s frailties at the back needed to be strong if they were to see out an important win but with the weather still not improving and conditions getting more and more difficult, Charlwood saw an opportunity to bite and bite they did with some venom.

First Connor Colcutt was in the right place at the right time to finish off a swift counter attack to fire low into the bottom corner to draw the blues level and then, with time running out, Liddell was up to his old tricks again, weaving in and out through defenders before poking the ball, with just enough on it, into the back of the net to put the blues in front for the first time in the game.

Bosham looked shell shocked and put everything into a final push to try and get something from the game but despite late efforts from Toby Alford and Louis Bell, time ran out and a third defeat on the bounce now leaves the reds in a worrying position in the table. Next week Rottingdean make the trip to the lane and with a fair wind, surely Bosham can get back to winning ways which they surely need to do.

Bosham: Harley Redman, Conor Crabb, Nick Edgington, Harry Spicer, Ilya Donets, James Wilson, Pat Bulbeck, Alex Barnes, Will Lintott, Louis Bell and Kieran Hartley. SUBS: Lewis Rustell, Toby Alford, Drew Moore and Jordan Jarvis.