Broadbridge Heath 3-0 Oakwood: Heath break through in second half

Steve Painter made six changes to the starting lineup following Heath’s cup defeat at Loxwood a few days earlier. Returning to the side were Martyn Flack, Andy Waddingham, Giorgio Alfieri, Michael Wood and Tiago Andrade while Faz Bidgood, a recent signing from Oakwood was making his debut against his former colleagues. Heath were camped in the Oakwood half for long periods of the first half but despite the pressure didn’t really create too many clear cut chances. Bidgood had two shots from distance but both were wide of the post and Wood’s effort at the far post from a Jamal Sultan cross went narrowly wide of the goal, but the best effort of the half fell to the visitors on a rare foray into the Heath end of the field. With ten minutes of the half remaining a corner from the right was hit long to the far post where Oaks’ Harry Lowe stole in unmarked to head the ball towards goal, but Stuart Chester was well positioned to clear off the line. Heath started the second period much the same as the first, with a lot of possession but unable to break down the solid Oakwood defence. That all changed in the 63rd minute. Heath were awarded a free kick wide on the left flank, Bidgood floated the ball into the Oakwood penalty area where Andrade rose above everyone to power a header past the Oaks keeper into the net. Five minutes later it was 2-0. Piers McDermott sent Andrade through on goal and the Heath striker hit a fierce right footed shot that beat the keeper but cannoned off the foot of the post and out to Alfieri who advanced into the penalty area and was brought down with a heavy tackle by Oakwood’s Blair Cooney. Jamal Sultan stepped up to despatch the penalty kick past the Oaks keeper for his first goal of the season. The third goal arrived on 72 minutes and again it was Andrade, who scored from the edge of the penalty area to complete a good evening for the Bears. Special mention to Heath’s goalkeeper James Fisher, this shut-out makes it six clean sheets in the league on the trot, the last goal the Heath stopper conceded was in Heath’s 5-1 win at Midhurst on November 16. BBH: Fisher, Alfieri, Chester, Flack, Howard, Bidgood, Waddingham, Moore (McDermott 64), Wood (Purkis 64), Andrade (Holmes 80), Sultan.