Young Hillians rise to occasion
A dominant second half display and a stunning strike from the skipper saw Burgess Hill win 3-0 and create some distance between Sheppey United in sixth.
Captain Brandon O’Neill fired in a thunderbolt midway through the second half as a sign of redemption to the Hillian fans. The skipper had earlier missed a penalty in a first half that saw Burgess Hill struggle to create any meaningful chances for themselves.
Reggie Ward gave the Hillians a perfect start to the second half by opening the scoring in the 46th minute with a calm and composed run and finish, enough to earn him Man of the Match.
Sheppey buckled under the increased pressure in the second half and soon conceded a second penalty for handball, this one dispatched cooly by young striker Alex Brewer.
Burgess Hill saw the confidence flowing in the last 20 minutes as they created chance after chance without giving the Ites any room to breathe.
The Ites failed to capitalise on some very dangerous counter attacks in the first half and were not able to compose themselves again after conceding the first goal.
A strong performance from Sheppey keeper Aiden Prall ensured that his team didn’t receive a drubbing as the keeper produced many big reflex saves, including one from the spot.
This run sees Burgess Hill continue their strong home defensive record, having not conceded more than one since the visit from the league leaders Beckenham Town in early October.
