HEATH 5 STAR SHOW

A good crowd at a sunny Hanbury Park Stadium was given a footballing treat as Heath put on their best home display this season and outplayed in every department a Little Common team who are currently second in the league, and who took the lead after only 3 minutes!

Heath secured another vital three league points with a win against one of their promotion rivals as apart from the opening minutes when they conceded to a fine run and finish from the Little Common right winger, they gave a confident performance throughout the whole team highlighted by the crisp passing interchanges and movement off the ball. After recovering from the early set back, Heath pushed on and started to create the first couple of chances with Dean Pitcher and Kevin Cooper starting together for the first time always prominent and available for the on rushing Heath midfielders. Olly Day had a glancing header which just went wide, and then after 11 minutes Rob Cooper drifted in from the right, beat his marker and curled a beautiful left foot shot from the edge of the box into the top left hand corner of the net giving the keeper no chance, and giving Cooper his first goal for the club and one which his recent performances have suggested will be the first of many.

The Heath midfield was giving Little Common no space with Mark Beard and Olly Day dominating, whilst Rob Cooper and Luis Freitas added pace down both flanks. Common were restricted to long balls to their tall front players, which the Heath defensive unit dealt with, with increasing ease as the game wore on. The second goal always seemed likely and that arrived on 37 minutes when the ball was played into Dean Pitcher's feet just inside the Little Common penalty area. He had his back to goal but brilliantly rolled round the centre half which left him one on one with the keeper who he sent the wrong way as he stroked the ball into the net and milked the acclaim from the Hanbury faithful.

As the second half started Heath immediately picked up from where they had finished the first half with them pressing Common back towards their own box. Both Luis Freitas and Kevin Cooper had already made runs that were only halted by desperate defending, when after 49 minutes Freitas twisted past two defenders and smashed the ball home for Heath's third. Little Common then substituted the League's top goal scorer as they tried to swamp the Heath midfield by playing 5 in the middle. Heath responded by taking a couple of players off to rest them, and bringing on Moores for his first action since his welcome return to Hanbury, and Ian Breeds making his debut for the Blues. The changes didn't detract from Heath's play in any way as they continued to outplay their opponents utilising their pace to set up numerous chances that failed to be converted, or in Kevin Cooper's case, hitting the woodwork as he turned his marker for the umpteenth time and flashed a shot in that hit the post and rebounded to safety. It was all Heath and the fourth goal came when strong pressure forced the Little Common centre half to pass the ball across his own box, where Mark Beard was lurking. He controlled the ball and buried it into the net to cap his industrious performance. Their was still time for Eric Mvale to some how miss when he was threaded through brilliantly by Cooper, but then he made amends when he jinked past a couple of defenders and slotted past the keeper for the fifth and final Heath goal in the 89th minute. This was a really good performance, full of pace and fluent football and very pleasing on the eye, and the final score could have been bigger had all the chances been taken.

This week Heath on Saturday 28th February are at home again in a local derby v Hurstpierpoint, 3.00pm kick off in a vital league game. All are welcome, under 16's free entry, come and support your local team and enjoy the Hanbury hospitality.

Team

Lehkyj, White, Wright, Howes, Humphries, Cooper R, Day (Breeds 50), Beard, Frietas (Mvale 55), Pitcher D (Moores 55), Cooper K

Man of the Match

Beard