Broadbridge Heath's six-game losing streak ends with Newhaven win

The Bears welcomed back a posse of players who were missing for the midweek trip to Pagham, none more welcome than Dan Sandell for his first game since going off with a groin strain in October.

The opening exchanges were evenly balanced, but neither team threatened their opponent’s goal until the 28th minute when some sustained Heath pressure finally saw the deadlock broken. Tiago Andrade played one-two with George Cousins and with the Newhaven keeper Jake Buss sprinting off his line, Andrade dinked the ball over the him.

The visitors responded with Ian Robinson going close and Kyle Woolven should have done better when he shot wide of goal when well placed.

Just two minutes into the second half, the visitors were fortunate to keep 11 players on the field when Matt Gun hauled down Gicu Iordache just outside the area, but the referee felt it only warranted a yellow card, the same as he then showed Cousins for complaining about it.

Heath doubled their lead as Andrade beat a defender and then cut it back to George Cousins who side-stepped a defender and then rifled a right foot shot that deflected off a player into the net.

On the hour mark, the league’s leading scorer Lee Robinson was denied by Chester. Iordache then had a shot deflected just wide and from the corner Andrade headed over. In the 72nd minute, Newhaven’s Robbie Keith glanced home a header. That saw visitors pile on the pressure in search of the equaliser, but their best chance saw Tim Martin clear a Newhaven attack off the line.

Heath: M.Chester, Martin (Frankland 75), Robinson, S.Chester, Parsons, Howard-Bold, Sandell, Fender, Andrade, Cousins (Campbell 80), Iordache (Balfour 85).