Bexhill clinch vital win at Ifield

The promotion hopefuls needed all three points to maintain their challenge in Sussex Division Three, especially as main rivals Lingfield also won at the weekend.

"It really was a tough game," said manager Bill Trivett. "They're a physical side and they just keep working and working. But it shows we can mix it a little bit and that's a big point really. We can play football, but what we've had to learn to do over the season is to battle.

"And the character through the squad has been brilliant this year. At times they've been down (notably after losing their first three games and subsequent losses against Storrington and Lingfield, each of which they've followed-up with wins), but they've managed to find a result and produce results like we did on Saturday.

"Football-wise we controlled the game and, at half time (which they were two goals to the good), we didn't really think they would get back into it. But we gave two very sloppy goals away and it was a bit of a nervy ending."

A tense finish looked unlikely when Joe Cornwall drove left-footed into the bottom corner from 25 yards in the fifth minute and Alex Hesmer, who struck a wonder goal from 40 yards in the victory over Forest last month, delivered a 16th minute shot from around the penalty spot that was too hot for the opposing goalkeeper to handle.

But, in Trivett's view, a "lapse in concentration" gave the Crawley-based side a foothold in the match. Bexhill stopped playing in the belief that a 56th minute corner had drifted out of play before curling back in and Andy Dhiman applied the finishing touch.

United's two-goal cushion was restored, however, when 19-year-old Billy Trickett capped his first start with his first Bexhill goal 10 minutes from time.

They shot themselves in the foot again three minutes later, though, when a botched attempt to play offside let in Clark, but they managed to survive the eight minutes of stoppage time that followed.