Sittingbourne made it sixteen homes win out of seventeen with a comfortable 3-0 win over Erith Town in the Woodstock sunshine.
After Mitch May walked in his 25th goal of the season inside the opening ten minutes, the result was rarely in doubt and two goals in three minutes at the start of the second period sealed the points. May converted goal number twenty-six from the spot after being brought down and when Henry Sinai powered home Ryan Kingsford free-kick the points were done and dusted.
The Brickies went into the game seven points behind the leaders Ramsgate with five fixtures left, and boss Ryan Maxwell knows that if his side are to catch Ben Smiths side, they must be perfect in all their remaining games.
Luke Woodward made his first Woodstock start in over a year, to be fair from the moment May put the home side ahead on eight, these three points were going nowhere. Kingsford and Donvieve Jones combined brilliantly down the right and as Jones’s cross eluded keeper Harrison Firth at full stretch, May literally walked the ball into the net.
In a very stop/start opening period that wasn’t helped by a cold swirling wind, the home side were comfortable but all the time it remained 1-0 there was always a chance for the Dockers and they so nearly pounced as James Miles’ drive from the edge of the box, home keeper Roco Rees pulled off a smart save to his right – a save that was going to be the Brickies keeper only action of the game.
Kingsford went close to adding a second before the break as he connected with a Troy Howard cross only for his shot to loop off the bar with Firth motionless.
The second half began in similar fashion, and when May was upended in the box, Sittingbourne’s top scorer dusted himself down and sent Firth the wrong was from the spot. And in their very next attack, the Brickies well and truly cemented the points with over half-a-hour to go! Kingsford flighted in a super free-kick, and a flying Sinai powered home his sixteenth goal of the season.
The victory margin could easily have been more – Liam Smith will be disappointed that he didn’t hit the target with a header from Richie Hamill’s corner; Firth pulled off a stunning save to keep out a drive from sub-Jean-Baptiste Fischer; there just wasn’t a red shirt to convert Howard’s flashing driven cross across the face of goal!
With Ramsgate winning, the gap is still seven points with now just four games left, but with third placed Burgess Hill losing to AFC Croydon Athletic, the Brickies travel to East Grinstead next weekend knowing that just one more point will guarantee potential home advantage throughout the Play Off. But dont tell the Brickies or their boss that – their target is still the title!
SITTINGBOURNE – Rees, Jones, Lukombo, Woodward (Hamill), Smith, Arthur, El-Mogharbel (Fischer), May (Azeez), Kingsford, Sinai (Morgan)
Sub – Steventon
ERITH TOWN – Firth, Dythe, Jeffrey (Mazzone), Ash, Miles, Duncan, Milton (Williams), Udanoh, Jayaguru, Craig, Kileba (Petter)
Subs – Connor, Leppard
REFEREE – Mr. Spain
Images courtesy of Grace Joines