Burgess Hill Town came away with a well earned point from a rain lashed Hythe Town on Saturday afternoon.

Manager Dean Cox included recent signing Curtis Gayler on the bench with the midfielder returning to the club after just over 5 years away.

The Hillians started brightly against Hythe and took a deserved lead through top scorer Rob O’Toole with his eighth of the season. O’Toole started the move as he fed Kieron Pamment who skins his man and pulls it across the box where the striker waited like the master poacher to smash in.

The lead the only lasted 9 minutes as out of nothing the hosts were level against the run of play. A cross came in, we lose the first header and Jake Embery smashes it past James Shaw to level it up.

The Hillians though kept pressing and Pamment whipped a lovely ball in, Hythe slice it, Mo Jammeh has a shot blocked before it comes back to him and he smashes it off the post.

Within a minute though Hythe took the lead. It was a mess at the back and Ethan Smith capitalises. The Hillians had dominated but found ourselves, inexplicably, behind.

On the half hour mark Jammeh saw a shot deflected wide after good work by Marcel Powell and soon after Jammeh hit the side netting after Kieran Rowe broke forward and crossed it in for Jammeh.

At the other end Shaw made a good save and the last 5 minutes saw Hythe pressure with several corners and Marcus Allen made a good challenge to prevent a good chance.

Aaron Barnes had the first effort of the second half but the game changed with the introduction of a double sub as Curtis Gayler and Dan Perry entered the action.

Hillians levelled on 76 minutes as Gayler won a free kick. He stepped up and his effort was parried by Steve Phillips but Dan Perry reacted quickest to smash home the rebound.

Hill were alive and nearly re-took the lead as Gayler’s ball into the box found Perry who brings it down and beats down on goal but it’s deflected for a corner. Marcus Allen flies at the corner but heads it wide.

At the other end a corner comes to the back post and Shaw does brilliantly to thwart a certain goal as the game could have gone either way.

Gayler saw an effort fly over the bar and Hill had a let off near the end as Hythe get in behind and smash a ball across the face of goal, Hythe fly at it and somehow none of them tap it in.

The game finished 2-2 and was an excellent point on the road at Hythe, which is never an easy place to go.

Hillians: James Shaw, Reggie Ward, Martyn Box, Jack Taylor (Finn Daniels-Yeoman 86), Marcus Allen, Josh Spinks, Rob O’Toole, Kieran Rowe, Mo Jammeh (Dan Perry 59), Kieron Pamment (Curtis Gayler 59), Marcel Powell. Not used: Darren Budd, Nic D’Arienzo.