Sittingbourne produced a superb rear-guard action to gain a much-needed point against Play Off chasing Cray Valley PM.

Valley who won the corresponding fixture 6-0 last season would have repeated the scoreline but on this occasion met a goalkeeper playing out of his boots in Harley Earle.

Three times in each half the young keeper pulled out magnificent saves – denying the unfortunate Adam Coombes on three occasions alone. And when Earle was beaten by Barney Williams’ late shot, the post and skipper Joe Ellul’s brave headed clearance denied the visitors.

The visitors were into their stride almost immediately from kick and created the best early chances. Hassan Ibrahiym went down in the Brickies box, but his hopeful appeals for a spot kick was waved away by the officials.

Earle produced his first good save of the day to beat out an Ade Adeyemo shot before denying the same player twice in the closing stages of the half – the first was the start of a double save where the keeper also denied the offside Denzel Gayle, before on the stroke of half time Adeyemo was again left holding his header in disbelief as Earle’s fingertips denied a drive heading for the top corner.

It wasn’t all one way traffic as the Brickies did get forward themselves but the final ball wasn’t there and on the rare occasion the home side did threaten, they just didn’t get the bounce of the ball as was the case when Cheynie Burgin got on the end of a long clearance, but as he shaped to shoot, the ball just wouldn’t drop and his shot was blocked wide for a corner.

After the break, the home side made a tactical switch going to four at the back but the visitors kept coming forward. Adam Coombes will never want to meet Earle again as he could have easily had a hat-trick but for the young keeper.

His first effort was a free-kick that was brilliantly tipped over. A rare mistake for skipper Ellul was nearly punished but for a terrific tidied up by Donvieve Jones before Coombes was denied again by a really brave piece of goalkeeping.

When Earle was beaten, the keeper for a change got the luck that his performance deserved into the last ten minutes. Barney Williams hit a tremendous shot which came back off the inside of the right post (did Earle even get a touch on that?) and as the ball seemed to drop to Coombes to tap into an empty net, Ellul appeared from nowhere to incredibly get the ball away.

In stoppage time came the save of the game, and it was the unlucky Williams denied again. This time it was a super half volley through the crowd of players that had everyone holding their heads in disbelief as Earle plunged to his right to save – how the Brickies stopper saved the shot, let along saw it through the crowd – is absolutely amazing.

Honours even and whilst the home side rarely threatened, their back line excelled and repelled blue wave after blue wave, you could say that the Brickies and their young keeper built a wall that the Valley just couldn’t breach…

SITTINGBOURNE – Earle, Jones, Davidson, Ellul, Tyrie, Pont (Graham), Mbonkwi, Singh (Follea), Burgin, Eyoma, May (Kileba)

Sub – Warren

CRAY VALLEY PAPER MILLS – Lewington, Bentley, Chambers, Williams, Tumkaya, Gayle, Black, Coombes, Nelson, Ibrahiym, Adeyemo

Subs – Majekodunmi, Medhurst, Edionhon Silvera, Bennett, Anau

REFEREE – Mr Sangowawa