FIVE STAR HEATH DESTROY LEADERS UCKFIELD

Heath made a statement, and put down their marker for the rest of the season, as they went to previously unbeaten table toppers Uckfield and produced their best performance of the season as they comprehensively outplayed the hosts and took a well deserved three points away with them.

The match kicked off in blustery conditions and Uckfield started the stronger immediately attacking the Heath goal, without really creating any clear chances as the Heath back four were keeping close tabs on them. The defenders were also taking the opportunity to play out from the back and build moves from deep, most of which were pleasing to watch, and showed the ball playing ability that runs through every department of this team. Uckfield were busy complaining about the linesman and every decision he was making, and they really lost the plot when after 30 minutes they had a shot from a free kick that wasn't stopped cleanly by Chris Turner in the Heath goal. They claimed the ball had crossed the line and a goal was the result, however the referee on the linesman's advice decided correctly that a goal hadn't been scored. This decision inflamed the home team in spite of the fact that some of their own fans tried telling them that the ball hadn't crossed the line.

The close escape led to Heath upping their game and they became more threatening and purposeful around the Uckfield goal. There had been a couple of close efforts before in the 35th minute a move was started in the middle of the park and then moved to the left side of the Uckfield area, before being moved back to the middle and then out wide right. When the low driven cross came in three Heath players were shaping to shoot when an Uckfield defender got to the ball first and turned it past his keeper and into his own goal, with Mark Beard claiming a touch. The Heath midfield now took a firm grip on the game, winning every challenge and pinning Uckfield deep in their own half. With a couple of minutes left in the half a superb through ball by Geoff Pitcher allowed Dean Pitcher to cleverly steer the ball past the keeper for the second goal, and within a minute the same pair combined, this time Geoff displayed fantastic vision and played a ball that wrong footed the whole defence and Dean showing telepathic awareness latched onto it and again clinically slotted into the net. The whistle blew for half time with Heath three up and Uckfield's players arguing amongst themselves.

The first ten minutes of the second half were obviously going to be vital to both teams, but straight from the restart Heath won the ball, strung together half a dozen passes, and the move was finished exquisitely by Geoff Pitcher who placed the ball into the back of the Uckfield net for his first goal since his recent return to Haywards Heath. This had the effect of stunning Uckfield completely and for the next few minutes Heath cut through the Uckfield team at will with some awesome passing and moving with Olly Day and Mark Beard providing the fulcrum in midfield around which the moves were being orchestrated. Luis Freitas down the left and Ant Humphries down the right were getting to the byline all the time and eventually the pressure told when Geoff Pitcher coolly dispatched the fifth, and his second, Heath goal.

With 35 minutes left, and the game already won, Heath took the opportunity to bring on all their subs who have recovered from various injuries, and to also try a different tactical formation. Although the personnel had changed the fluent passing game hadn't and neither had the flow of chances that were being created. Most of the moves originated from the back where Louie Wright and Tommy Howes were again in commanding form, dominating their opponents and enabling Cafu White and Rob Cooper to charge forward down both wings. The Pitcher boys both wanted to claim hat tricks and from one move down the left Geoff crashed a shot off the bar and Dean slid the rebound agonizingly past the post. At the other end the much vaunted Uckfield attack had their best period of the game and Rob Cooper made a couple of great challenges to snuff out danger, before with 5 minutes left they were awarded a soft penalty which was converted successfully past Chris Turner who not really been called into action during the game up till then.

The match ended and Heath could reflect on a very good all round team performance, where the effort and work rate was produced by all the squad and where everyone had contributed to a classy display and a fantastic result that moved them into second place in the league. This Saturday Heath are at home against Little Common with a 3.00pm kick off at Hanbury Stadium and children can watch free of charge - all are welcome.

Team

Turner, White, Wright, Howes, McMenemy (Cooper 60), Freitas (Clark 55), Beard (Kelly 60), Day, Humphries, G.Pitcher, D.Pitcher

Man of the Match

G. Pitcher