Three Bridges grab late winner in nine-goal thriller against league leaders

Two goals in the seven added minutes gave Three Bridges victory in an astonishing game that left Cray Valley nursing their first League defeat of the season.

Bridges had difficult periods at the start of both halfs, but they stuck together and deserved their win even after a bizarre red card shown to Callum Donaghey for a comment to an Assistant Referee just as he was set to come on as a substitute!

Cray took a sixth minute lead when Matthew Vigor headed down to Freddie Parker, who turned brilliantly to slam past debutant keeper Finlay Westen. But Bridges struck back in the thirteenth minute when Bryan Villavicencio won a corner which was sent in by Brannon O’Neill and headed in at the near post by Noel Leighton.

Bridges were annoyed when the excellent Nabeel Ghannam was fouled, and although the referee waved play on, there was double the annoyance when Ibrahim Jalloh appeared to be felled in the penalty area too!

But it was soon forgotten after 27 minutes when more positive play by Leighton ended with him having a shot blocked before O’Neill netted on the follow up.

The first twelve minutes of the second half proved to be a nightmare for the visitors however with Cray looking likely to score with every attack, and they equalised within five minutes of the restart when a corner was only half cleared to Denzel Gayle, who hit a cracking shot home.

A low cross after 54 minutes led to Hassan Ibrahiym putting Cray ahead, and a deflected cross three minutes later was nudged home from close range by Parker. But Bridges settled only for Kevin Rivera to blaze high and wide after Ghannam fed him superbly.

A minute later though Leighton showed his strength to net with a slight defection off a defender, but it looked likely to only be a consolation until the game went into added time.

Three minutes into the added seven saw Max Ovenden push away a Rivera effort only for another substitute Elliott Hanslow to snap up the loose ball for the equaliser. Most of the Bridges faithful would have been happy to come away with a draw at that stage, but the team weren’t satisfied with that and in the 96th minute Rivera’s pass to Leighton finished with a cool and determined hat trick goal and a brilliant win that puts the team back into the Play Off places and earned them a third win in eight days with twelve goals scored in the process.

Cray: M.Ovenden, B.Williams, T.Chambers, A.Lee, K.Oshilaja, D.Gayle, S.Black, F.Parker (A.Coombes, 75), M.Ademiluyi, M.Vigor (L.Della-Verde, 66), H.Ibrahiym.Unused Subs. - D.Waldren, M.Barrington, C.Expiteta.Booked - Lee (49), Williams (70), Oshilaja (90+3).

Bridges: F.Westen, D.Ferreira, R.Euba, B.Irving, T.Difika, B.Villavicencio, I.Jalloh (K.Rivera, 65), B.O’Neill, N.Leighton, H.Woollard, N.Ghannam (E.Hanslow, 83).Unused Subs. - S.Agun, G.Falzon, C.Donaghey.Booked - Irving (90+4).Sent Off - Donaghey (90).

Bridges Man of the Match - Noel Leighton, who ironically was named a the Player to Watch in Cray's Match Programme.

This Saturday Bridges are at home to fellow Play Off challengers Herne Bay.