Sittingbourne missed out on a massive chance to close the gap to the Southeast divisions Play Off places as relegation threatened parked their Blue and White bus at the Jarmans Solicitors Stadium on a frustrating afternoon for Darren Blackburn’s side.

It really was a painful watch at times as the visitors for lengthy periods put ten players behind the ball leaving just Omar Folkes to plough a largely lone furrow up front. 

For all the probing and the pushing, the Brickies were frustrated repeatedly with the lack of room as the visitors looked to maintain their divisional status. There were match ups across the park that couldn’t be split as the home front three – Kane Rowland, Toby Bancroft and Johan Caney-Bryan – battled with the visitors back line with no quarter asked or given just as it was at the other end where Lex Allan and Eman Dasho again superbly denied anything that the visitors offered – which in all fairness wasn’t a lot.

Not that sadly the home side were much better when they eventually created chances worthy of the name. When they did, Sam Freeman in the visitor’s goal was equal to it.

After a tough start, the two Brickies central defenders combined for the games opening chance as Dasho hurled a bullet of a throw into the box and Allan managed to get a glancing header on the end of it forcing Freeman into a smart comfortable save low to his left.

Full back Taylor Fisher was always a threat down the home sides left flank and from one of his forward charges, he managed to get into the visitor’s box and hammered a shot in goal wards. Freeman did well to beat the ball out and as it fell to Bancroft, a last-ditch defensive block kept the score line blank.

Then shortly before the break, the Brickies almost squeezed in front, as a scramble in the box saw a lunging Caney-Bryan just not able to get enough on the bobbling ball to poke it home and it ricocheted just past the right post.

The second half became increasingly a war of attrition and again when the home side did pierce the Blue and White wall, they couldn’t force their way past Freeman as the keeper made two saves in quick succession on the hour as the home front line finally worked some space.

Such was the game that when Sam Okoye thought he’d got in behind the defence, he was caught in two minds whether to shoot or cross and completely missed his kick, and when Allan hammered one of the last kicks of the game high over the bar, it was perhaps fitting that memory of the game went with it into the wild blue yonder!

The final outcome in the end does little for both sides end of season hopes – the visitors saw their safety cushion at the foot cut to just three points as the bottom two both won, whilst the Brickies stay seven points off the Play Off places now with just four games left…

SITTINGBOURNE – Brooks, Okoye, Fisher, Allan, Dasho, Alex Flisher, Sam Flisher, Danny Taylor, Rowland, Caney-Bryan, Bancroft

Subs – Stannard, Charlie Taylor

EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN – Freeman, Fintan Walsh, Straker, Cornwell, Green, Wilson, Summerfield, Briggs, Folkes (Dillon), Uchechi, Remfry (Max Walsh)

Subs – Burrow, Douglas, Glover

REFEREE – Mr Sear