After losing their long unbeaten Isthmian League record at the weekend, Sittingbourne’s incredible home record saw them increase the pressure on relegation threatened Littlehampton Town whilst closing the gap on leaders Ramsgate.
The Brickies moved to within seven points of the leaders still having a game in hand as goals at each end of the first half from Richie Hamill and Troy Howard gave Sittingbourne a comfortable lead.
Marshall Bull pulled a goal back for the visitors and for a while, there were some home nerves as the Sussex side’s hopes of an unlikely point grew. But as time went on, the Brickies complete dominance returned and fifteen minutes from time, Ade Azeez netted the third and Sittingbourne’s one hundredth League goal of the season to rubber stamp the points and made it 49 points from a possible 51 at the Staxson Stadium, Woodstock.
The visitors so nearly caught the Brickies almost from their first attack. A long throw into the Sittingbourne box fell to Nic D’Arienzo who really should have hit the target with a shot instead of finding the side netting.
The Brickies responded and so well. A ball into the Littlehampton box was recycled and dropped as far as Hamill who let fly from 30 yards into the bottom corner of a despairing Mac Chisholm in the visitor’s goal to give Ryan Maxwell’s side the perfect start after losing their unbeaten record at Three Bridges on Saturday.
Liam Smith had the keeper sprawling to keep out a header from a Hamill corner, before the visitors went close to levelling the scores as George Gaskin’s shot was brilliantly cleared off the line by Donvieve Jones to keep the home side in front.
Joe Boachie went close for the Brickies and Mitch May was denied when perhaps he delayed a shot just a bit too long before the home side were gifted a second on the stroke of half time as Boachie turned provider.
A super through ball released Howard who closed down Chisholm as he tried to control outside of his box. Howard though didn’t give up the chase and managed to skip round the flailing keeper and rolled the ball into the empty net for his fourteenth goal of the season.
After the break, the visitors got themselves back into the game with Bull’s thunderous header from a corner, though there were loud cries of protest from the home side as it appeared that one of the home defenders had been impeded as the corner came over and for a few moments Littlehampton had hope where there hadn’t previously been any that they might be able to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom four.
But gradually the home side reasserted themselves with the Brickies pace always a threat. Howard raced clear and was well denied by a big block from Chisholm and shortly afterwards as the same player was forced wide this time by the Town keeper, his ball back in for Boachie whose first time shot was magnificently blocked.
It was to be Azeez who would have the “honour” of scoring the Brickies 100th goal in League football this season but the on-loan Billericay striker will be first to admit that it could easily have been a hat-trick goal after coming on to replace May.
His first effort dropped just wide, his second was magnificently denied by Chisholm even though neither player would have been aware of a late assistant’s flag as the cross came in.
With fifteen minutes left though, Azeez got on the end of another cross and hammered the ball home and after a quick glance raced to celebrate with the home faithful as the points were secured and the gap to the leaders was cut to seven points.
SITTINGBOURNE – Roco Rees, Donvieve Jones, Chevron McLean (Jean- Baptiste Fischer), Richie Hamill, Liam Smith, Chris Arthur, Troy Howard (Jay Beckford), Ayman El-Mogharbel, Mitchell May (Ade Azeez), Joe Boachie (Alex Georgiou), Henry Sinai (Ryan Kingsford)
LITTLEHAMPTON TOWN – Mac Chisholm, Ryan Yoro-Thomas Thomas, Tijan Sparks, Marshall Bull (Scott Kirkwood), Thomas Butler, Nick D’Arienzo, Dean Lovegrove (Matthew Storm), Jordan Layton (Marcel Powell), George Gaskin, Nodirbek Bobomurodov, Kieron Pamment (Evan Hoarty)
REFEREE – Harry Phillips