Sittingbourne 1 Waltham Forest 1

Sittingbourne have now lost just one of their last seven games with this
draw against a youthful Waltham Forest team, writes Peter Pitts.

However, this was the classic two points dropped instead of one gained as Mitchell Sherwood missed two clear chances, Kieran Marsh hit the top of the crossbar and there were a number of shots that went agonisingly wide.

Sittingbourne started well and had early chances through Marsh whose effort on nine minutes went wide and Bradley Spice who hit a poor shot straight to Forest keeper Charlie Hasler when well placed.

Sittingbourne should have taken the lead on 16 minutes when a Lee Hockey cross-field pass picked out Mitchell Sherwood who looked like he had done all the hard work when he cut inside a defender to make space but he sent his shot wide.

Forest had shown none of the speed that had been a feature of their game when they defeated the Brickies by 4-2 earlier in the season. There was, however, a reminder  of this  on 19 minutes when Wesley Thomas was allowed to run with the ball but he fired his shot well over the bar but generally it was Sittingbourne who were having the better efforts.

On 25 minutes a Marsh 20 yard special was seen late by Hasler who palmed the ball out but only to Mark Lovell whose shot travelled along the goal line and out of play.
 
Waltham Forest came alive towards the end of the half and the lively Thomas
forced a good save from the Brickies goalkeeper Rowan Arnott making his debut in place of the unavailable Steve Williams.

Thomas was in action again minutes later this time lobbing the ball just over the Brickies goal and the half ended with a series of corners to Forest.
 
The second half began with a weak effort by Sherwood and at the other end a
snap shot by Leon Belton-McKenzie went just wide.
 
On 55 minutes a free kick into the Forest area ended in a bicycle kick by Toby Ashmore that was well held by Hasler.  This was followed by a good period of pressure from Sittingbourne and a Lovell header was just grabbed by Hasler then Spice fired over.
 
The game was punctuated at this stage with free kicks and corners and on 65 minutes from a Forest corner the ball sailed through a ruck of players to Didiuer Batunga who shot straight at Arnott.

Five minutes later a quick Sittingbourne break saw Spice slot a great pass to Sherwood who looked odds on to score but he sliced his shot wide.
 
On 72 minutes a Lee Hockey long throw into the Forest area was headed backwards by James Campbell to Lee Browning who was promptly tripped by Lee Georgiou and Mr Hoare awarded a penalty.

Up stepped Lovell to score his first goal since October to put the Brickies deservedly ahead.

The goal galvanised Forest and they began to look more like the side Sittingbourne
had met back in September.
 
On 80 minutes the Brickies defence failed to clear the ball which fell to Marc Ward who then sent a curling pile-driver goal-wards giving Arnott no chance and Forest had drawn level.
 
With five minutes to go a Ricky Spiller cross was headed just wide of his own goal by Glen Harvey and from the corner the ball was cleared out to Marsh who fired back a tremendous shot from fully 25 yards which bounced off the top of the Forest cross bar.
 
Forest almost snatched victory in the last five minutes themselves  when a shot from a corner was blocked on the line and the ball rebounded out to Belton-McKenzie who fired it back but straight into the arms of Arnott.  

The game ended on a controversial note when James Campbell received a red
card after being yellow carded for the second time in the game this time for coming back onto the pitch after injury without being waved on.
 
Disappointment then at not winning but Sittingbourne looked the better side and this display coupled with the Saturday victory at Arlesey bodes well for the future.
 
Sittingbourne: Arnott, Ashmore, Dowley, Ainsworth, Campbell, Marsh, Browning, Hockey, Lovell, Spice, Sherwood (Spiller 85),  Subs: Gooding, Taylor, Knowles, Tanner