At kick off we languished in eighteenth place, a single point above the relegation places, while Bexhill United were in seventh with eyes on getting into the play off places two places and three points above them. Illness deprived us of Guyni Nganga and Jeff Duah-Kessie, who was now free of suspension, while Stephen Hodge is still recovering from an appendectomy. Three debutants in the starting eleven with Charlie Kennett and Melvin Adesida in defence and Tyler Hargreaves up front.

An early opening as Jack McDonnell played the ball through to Matt Cheeseman for a shot the defence blocked. A good spell of possession on the right flank looking for an opening into the box won a throw that came to nothing. Just past five minutes played and Bexhill were free down the right and into the box where Conor Wilford got in a block and then turned over the ball to clear. Reece Jacobs put in a driving run forward and set up Deven Reid-Solanki for a shot that was just wide of the left post. Patiently playing out from the back in the tenth minute, Jacobs and Reid-Solanki closed down the Bexhill defence and were rewarded with a corner. Sent deep into the box, Wilford headed it into the six yard box where it ended up with Reid-Solanki to fire home for the opening goal.

From defending a free kick Jack Webb-Olley sent the ball downfield to Reid-Solanki who was fouled as he tried to break clear. Midway in their half and left of centre we were in Wilford range and his strike was saved by the keeper and then cleared. Just short of the twenty minute mark and Webb-Olley was a safe pair of hands on the end of a Bexhill corner. A shot from Cheeseman a couple of minutes later stung the hands of the keeper but he was not quick enough to follow up on the loose ball before the keeper gathered it. Bexhill were on the attack on 22mins but our new look back four were defending our box well with Webb-Olley eventually claiming the ball. A typical McDonnell driving run down the right wing was halted by a foul. Reid-Solanki took the kick and slid the ball to Cheeseman for a shot that was over the bar. Bexhill were having their chances going forward and following a good run through midfield the ball was played out to the left. The ball was centred for a shot that flew over the stand and was an example of a trait throughout the game of poor finishing – more sea boots from The Pirates than shooting boots.

McDonnell produced two great examples of full back play by tracking back and tackling to stop Bexhill making progress down their left either side of the half hour. Bexhill cleared a free kick from the right touchline by Reid-Solanki and soon after he was back on the ball in the centre circle to run at the Bexhill defence. He danced his way through the challenges to reach the edge of the box where he dummied from side to side to work space for a shot. Onto his left foot on the left side of the D, his shot went through the keeper and into the net for goal number two on 36mins. Magnificent from his first start as the central striker. And minutes later he was tormenting their defenders again trying to find another shooting opportunity but this time they were able to clear. It was a bit heart in the mouth with five minutes to go to half when Webb-Olley rushed a clearance kick that became a horrible slice and a corner for Bexhill. The ball in was well defended and Bexhill's final shot was over the bar again. Into added time and Bexhill's No. 10 managed to talk himself into a ten minute spell on the bench spanning the break.

Bexhill had been poor in the first half with a lot of shouting within their team and we could not expect them to be the same after the break and they were certainly better from the whistle. There were two half time changes as Jaiden Chang replaced Charlie Kennett and Kai Neil-Gray came on for two goal hero Deven Reid-Solanki who had received a battering in the first half. A first opening for us on 48mins as Cheeseman linked up with Jacobs on the right wing. Jacobs put a cross into the box that a diving goalkeeper gathered. We were penned back by Bexhill as Webb-Olley made a brilliant save on 54mins when they were in on goal. Minutes later we lost the ball on the left allowing Bexhill to break and centre the ball only to shoot wide of the right post. On 63mins on a break down the left Bexhill put the ball across the six yard box and we put it behind for a corner nothing came of. They won another corner as they put us under pressure in the box. Webb-Olley was strong on the corner to get hands on it, a follow up shot was blocked and then Webb-Olley was able to push the ball away again. It fell to Bexhill and this time McDonnell was on the the line to block the shot and the danger was cleared. With twenty minutes to go, Webb-Olley pulled off another good save and in putting the loose ball into the net Bexhill were flagged offside. On 77mins Jason Stripp was injured and not able to continue with Noah Agbinone coming off the bench. Looking to keep a first clean sheet of the season, Webb-Olley was quick off his line to take a high ball just beyond the penalty spot and had a coming together with a chasing up Bexhill player. Both players required treatment as some pushing and shoving followed but play restarted with our free kick as Bexhill claimed a penalty With a few other stoppages there would be some added time and on 87mins Jacobs was replaced by Devon Tacon to provide fresh legs to see the game out. Final minute of normal time and Webb-Olley took an easy looped up ball. Into the first added minute and Bexhill were able to break through our challenges and once into the box tuck the ball home for 2-1. Just what we did not need as the opposition were fired up to push for an equaliser. In a third added minute we struggled to clear a corner and a Bexhill header beat Webb-Olley only for a Linger head to pop up and clear it off the line. Well done Tyler Hargreaves for earning us three valuable points after two minutes more play.

A lot of solid performances and two goals not from free kicks or penalties which is encouraging. Deven Reid-Solanki's two first half goals were enough to win it as he was a great nuisance to Bexhill up front and getting some rough treatment. We move one place up the table into seventeenth place as Shoreham lost at home to Pagham and are two point clear of them. With both AFC Varndeanians and Lancing losing were have moved four points clear of the bottom two clubs. Wick are a point ahead of us but with a game in hand. Our opponents in three games time Midhurst & Easebourne sit a point above them and in a tight bunch the team in eleventh are only three points above them. With a run of fixture clashes with AFC Whyteleafe we will not be at Church Road again until 20 December against Peacehaven & Telscombe. Our next game is a reversed fixture as we travel to Newhaven in seventh place followed by our turn to see if anyone can take even a point off runaway leaders Haywards Heath Town.