A bizarre stoppage time goal from Ashford United’s Michael West denied Sittingbourne a fifteenth successive South East victory on a day when the weather was definitely the winner at a rain sodden Homelands. 

A single first half goal separated the two sides as Henry Sinai’s low shot went straight through keeper Mitch Beeney on an awful afternoon for football and sadly the football suffered and in truth played a massive part in the equalising goal as an attempted clearance cannoned over Brickies keeper Harley Earle and almost apologetically rolled into the net. 

The strong swirling wind, plunging temperatures and the driving rain were always going to make this first offering of 2025 a tough watch and so it proved as both sides struggled to adapt to the awful conditions which didn’t relent for the whole game. 

Half chances only early on as Mikey Berry fired high over the Brickies bar and Richie Hamill’s free kick was well clutched by Beeney, before with the first chance that could be called a chance, Sinai did really well to beat Matt Bodkin before drilling a low drive through the legs of keeper Beeney to give the Brickies a lead they just about deserved.

And it was nearly two a couple of minutes before the break but this time Beeney pulled off an excellent save – tipping a fine drive from Ryan Kingsford round the left post. 

The Brickies weren’t helped by the influential Troy Howard having to be withdrawn before the break as boss Ryan Maxwell reacted quickly as James Bessey went close for Sittingbourne in the early stages of the second period with a low shot that nearly crept in at Beeney’s right post with the keeper motionless and that was to be the only real clear chance of the half until the closing ten minutes.

Louis Collins couldn’t hit the target from a free kick dead central 25 yards out, whilst Brickies sub-Mitch May battled through only to hit a tame shot straight at Beeney.  

The game ended in bizarre fashion as Earle raced from his line to reach an under-hit back pass and could only watch in anguish as the ball cannoned off a combination of West and defender Jack Steventon, looping over the stranded keeper and into the net. 

A point hard earned or two thrown away was the question for the leaders at the final whistle as their advantage at the top is down to a point, but the League now takes a back seat for ten days for Maxwell’s side as next up weather permitting will be the Club’s historic FA Trophy tie with Salisbury at the weekend. 

ASHFORD UNITED – Beeney, Imasuen, Stone, Carney (Hayes), Jonah, Dunne, West, Bodkin, Preston Kedwell, Collins, Berry 

Subs – Danny Kedwell, Akhazzan, Loynes, Beckwith 

SITTINGBOURNE – Earle, Smith, Graham, Hamill (Cosgrave), Steventon, Arthur, Howard (Bessey), Beckford (El-Mogharbel), Boachie (May), Kingsford, Sinai (Jones) 

REFEREE – Mr. Finnegan 

Pictures supplied by Ian Scammell and Paul Golding.