Despite the rain over the previous days, the Polegrove pitch looked a picture as the mist rose from the surface under the lights in the latest episode in a run of home games for Bexhill Utd.

This was going to be a tough affair as Peacehaven & Telscombe arrived in a rich vein of form which has catapulted them up the Southern Combination Premier Division table in the past couple of months, leapfrogging the Pirates since they beat them at their place earlier in the season.

With the opening exchange fairly tentative it was Peacehaven who grabbed hold of the game pressing high up the pitch and setting the Pirates defence up for a frantic first half.

However, that high press nearly cost the visitors when a ball broke into space to Theo Coombs who had an excellent chance to open the scoring against the run of play only to be thwarted by the keeper.

But at the Brockley Road end, Peacehaven were turning the screw with their highly-rates attacking unit posing challenge after challenge. A couple of last ditch clearances off the line and some excellent work by young keeper Toby Whiteside kept things level until their skipper Ross Barclay forced his way through and the blasted the ball into the roof of the net.

Bexhill were right under the cosh for the remainder of the half as Peacehaven looked to ram home their advantaged and grab a second.

The Pirates were reduced to hoofing the ball into no man’s land before regrouping to wait for the next assault, it was some achievement to go in at the break just one goal behind and with a toe hold still in the game.

Bexhill came out after the break with a renewed sense of purpose and started to play some of the attacking football that has served the team so well this term.

Charlie Curran saw a decent long range drive sail past the post and Jack Shonk came close from a looping header that only just missed the target, much better from the hosts but not quite enough.

Peacehaven continued to push as the game opened up and there was more do or die defending to the chance of snatching a point alive.

In the end the visitors were worthy winners and kept their promotion hopes alive while Bexhill have to pick themselves up and get back at it for the visit of Crawley Down Gatwick on Saturday afternoon (ko 3pm) and the long-awaited arrival of overseas visitors from Guernsey next Wednesday evening (ko 7.30pm)

Courtesy of Geoff Morris.