A five-star performance from Sittingbourne saw Play Off chasing Burgess Hill put to the sword at Woodstock with strikers Mitch May and Chris Harris leading the way as the Brickies secured a fifth straight win to keep up the pressure at the top of the South East division.
Both strikers netted twice and Donvieve Jones hammered home the fifth as Ryan Maxwell’s side romped to the three points in front of a three hundred plus gate at the Roman Stadium.
And all that against a visiting side who arrived in Swale top of the form guide having won five of their last six and in the other game giving runaway leaders Ramsgate a huge fright by leading 2-0 at Southwood after half an hour.
The Brickies bossed throughout, and the early signs were not good for the visitors. May opened the scoring with his eleventh goal in his last nine starts as he hammered home from a ridiculously acute angle from a Harris pass.
In a rare foray forward, Martyn Box had a rare header on the home goal that Bobby Mason did well to palm over whilst at the other end, Bull pulled off a tremendous save to deny Ayman with the follow up flashing inches over the bar.
Roles were reversed just before the half hour as May turned provider for Harris as the young striker returned the earlier compliment for 2-0. A brilliant touch released Harris who buried the ball beyond a bewildered Toby Bull in the visitor’s goal.
It was three just moments later as May grabbed his second of the game from a corner as Sittingbourne threatened to run riot.
Mason was then called into action on the stroke of half time when Kieran Rowe wriggled through on goal, but the Brickies keeper came out big and strong and was able to beat the effort away.
The pattern contined after the break and Harris was desperately unlucky not to net a second as he took advantage of hesitation between keeper and defence with his prodded effort coming back off the right post before being hacked to safety.
It only delayed the inevitable, however. May did well down the left and his super ball into the box found the arriving Donvieve Jones who gloriously volleyed home his fifth goal of the season as he arrived unmarked like a train!
The home sides perfect day was topped off when Harris hit his twelfth goal of the season as he fired home twenty minutes from time in what proved to be his final involvement as he received a standing ovation from the home fans as he was replaced by new signing Danny Parish.
The chances kept coming for the home side as May went close to completing what would have been a hat-trick in back-to-back home games; D’Sean Theobalds came off the bench and drilled a shot wide, whilst Parish showed his obvious hunger and went close a couple of times to adding to the five.
But on this day, the Brickies had to settle “just” for the five, but the three points takes Sittingbourne to within three points of second placed Cray Valley.
SITTINGBOURNE – Mason, Jones, Graham, Woodward, Turner, Arthur, Bentley (Theobalds), Hope (Ilic), Ayman, Harris (Parish), May
Subs – Tyrie, Snell
BURGESS HILL TOWN – Bull, Hamstead (Jenkins), D’Arienzo, Allen. Spicer, Budd (Overy), Ward (Brewer), Rowe, Perry, Hallard, Box
Subs – Maryon, Stobart
REFEREE – Mr Parke
Images courtesy of Paul Golding