Sometimes in football you just love playing a certain opposition and for Burgess Hill, that team seems to be the unfortunate Brickies.

The unusual prospect of this game kicking off at 12:30 didn’t seem to faze the home team as it was an encouraging start for the Hillians. Barely 4 minutes had been played before Dan Perry had his first chance, receiving the ball on the edge of the box and testing visiting GK Matt Cafer out early but it was a good low save and well held onto with Sam Remfry lurking for rebounds. The bright Burgess start was almost completely in vain just 7 minutes in as with the first forray into the Hills box, the Brickies bashed the post. It was all rather simple, Correy Davidson was allowed time and space in the middle of the park to clip a ball over the top of the back line which saw former Cray Valley man Matt Warren burst from midfield and bare down on Will Huffers goal. The pass forced him slightly wider than he might’ve liked but from the right hand side of the box his low drive beat Will Huffer but came cannoning off the base of the post and the Hillians survived. The big chances were now flowing at both ends, Max Miller, as he so often does, whipped a great ball into the middle which went all the way through to Sam Remfry at the far post. The winger took a touch to steady himself and struck his effort hard and low and it forced a very smart same from Matt Cafer with his feet to thwart Ginge. Unfortunately for the busy Brickie keeper, he was powerless to stop Dan Perry netting his 14th goal in as many matches. Ashley Elson and Dan Perry have struck up a neat partnership in recent weeks and they both combined for the opening goal, although unintentionally. Elson received the ball on the edge of the box and got his shot away quickly which didn’t allow Cafer to set, the GK awkwardly pushed the ball out and as all good strikers do, Hitman Dan Perry was following in to slot home his 17th goal of the season. Hillians, clearly buoyed by that early goal and good start, looked to press on and add another. Ashley Elson was causing a real handful for the Brickies back line with his hold up play, he did extremely well to keep hold of possession and tee up Sam Remfry who drove his effort wide but encouraging play for Jay Lovett to appreciate. The Hill were creating chances and they could’ve and should’ve doubled the lead. 17 year old Zack Lawrence, making his 3rd start in a row bombed down the right and whipped a teasing low delivery which deflected perfectly into the path of Dan Perry and you expected him to bury it but it was another strong save from Matt Cafer before Sam Remfry had the rebound well blocked by a Brickie defender. If that chance should’ve been converted, the Hill should’ve been over the Hill and far away with the next one. It was outstanding pressing from Kieran Rowe who forced the effort from Matt Warren on the edge of his own box, the loose ball fell for Perry who found Lewis Finney centre of the goal but again, Matt Cafer was there to make the stop. Lewis Finney would’ve been kicking himself for not scoring that chance but in typical LewCharFin fashion, from the resulting corner he scored a chance that was 10x harder. Sam Remfry played a corner short to Finney on the left hand side of the box, Sittingbourne were slow to close him down and he dropped the shoulder and curled a beautiful effort off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net to double the Hillians lead, deservedly. The closest the visitors got to halving the deficit was an effort on goal by Mario Quiassaca which gave Will Huffer something to do but it was comfortable in the end. A third goal for the Hillians would make it extremely tough for the Brickies to come back from and we almost got it in bizarre fashion. Dan Cadman roamed down the left and crossed into the box but it almost caught out Cafer in the away goal and he had to be alert to tip the ball over for a corner. A goal before the break would of really changed both managers team talks and Sittingbourne almost got one back, the danger man Donvieve Jones utilised his electric pace to bomb down the right and fire an effort which flashed across the face of goal but no Brickie man gambled on it to tuck home.

HT: 2-0.

That was a splendid half of football for the Hillians, one in which they throughly deserved a 2 goal lead but coming out for the second half they needed to maintain it and grab a killer 3rd to clinch the victory. Ultimately, this didn’t happen. It was a much slower and sedate 2nd 45 compared to the first with the Brickies penning back the Hillians for large periods. Max Miller had a rare Hill effort but his finish almost ended up hitting the BOTN food hut in the corner of the ground. Sittingbourne should’ve halved the deficit in the 58th minute. A corner from the left hand side was whipped in and Donvieve Jones had a free header from the middle of the box, he rose and towered above everyone to bullet his header but it flew millimetre’s wide of Will Huffers post who was completely rooted to the spot, such was the power. That was the warning sign and the Hillians failed to heed it. For the second week in a row, an opposition goal came from a Burgess chance. Dan Perry was inches away from turning home a teasing cross, which actually left him stuck in the goal and Sittingbourne broke, no one tracked the midfield run of Matt Warren who played a give and go down the left and clipped a ball in for Mario Quiassaca who was unmarked in the middle to make a darting run to the near post and flick a header past a helpless Huffer. Game on. This was going to test the Hillians resilience with over 25 minutes remaining. The visiting tails were up and another headed chance came and went. A cracking delivery into the area saw Correy Davidson bullet a header but thankfully he planted it straight into the grateful arms of Will Huffer. To ease any nerves, all Jay Lovetts men had to do was grab a game clinching third but easier said than done. Substitute Connor Tighe tried his luck at doing this but his effort was deflected for a corner which came to nothing. There was a clear height disparity with Sittingbourne compiled a team of utter giants. The game plan and the route back into the game was clear. Cross the ball. Another dangerous one was swung in and once again a visiting man rose highest but this header sailed harmlessly wide. You always get one final chance and no surprise it came from a Sittingbourne corner. It was swung in from the left and Bagusan Graham leapt like a salmon to power an effort on target but he couldn’t beat a flying Will Huffer who dived to his right to repel the header and seal a vital 3 points in the Isthmian League.

FT: 2-1.

Well. Just a typical Burgess Hill win really, wasn’t it? Stressful. To our credit, the first half was sublime and on the whole, the back line repelled everything and we got what we deserved.

Next up, we head to Hythe Town next Saturday hoping to make it back to back league victories.