What a great advert for Isthmian League football this game was, it had everything, played at a fast pace from start to finish, some great goals, some excellent defending, some not so good defending, played in the right spirit without a single booking for either side.

Heath came into the game on their best ever run of league form since winning promotion to the Isthmian League, four straight wins, three of them away from home, has seen Chris Simmons side move into mid-table safety with games in-hand on nearly all the teams around them.

The visitors have seen their fortunes turn-around this season having been saved from relegation by the Football Association they have made an excellent start to the new campaign and currently sit in pole position with seven wins and two draws from their eleven matches.

The game got off to a frantic pace, end to end football and it was The Bears who created the first clear goal-scoring opportunity on 14 minutes following a flowing move down the right which saw Matt Hay take the ball to the goal-line and cut it back to Louis Evans 18 yards from goal who hit a left foot shot narrowly wide of the post.

At the other end Jamarie Brissett sprinted down the left flank, cut inside and hit a right foot shot from the edge of the penalty area that was deflected wide for a corner. The visitors took the lead with their next attack on 17 minutes when Heath lost possession wide on the left trying to play the ball out from the back, the ball fell kindly to Brissett who played it inside to Steven Townsend who drilled a low right foot shot from 16 yards into the bottom left corner.

On 35 minutes Louis Evans picked up the ball in the centre circle and went on an amazing run at the Beckenham defence beating four players before rifling a right foot shot from just outside the penalty area that flew inches wide of the crossbar.

Heath drew level a minute later when Jamie Buchanan played a diagonal pass from the centre of midfield down the right flank to Callum Dowdell whose cross came off the head of a Beckenham defender, Evans pounced to steer the loose ball back into the danger area where Sam Lemon volleyed in a right foot shot from close range.

Heath took the lead just before the break and it was another move down the right which saw Dowdell sprint towards the goal-line with the ball at his feet, played it inside into the path of Louis Evans who took a touch with his left foot and hammered it home with his right giving the Bears a deserved 2-1 half-time lead.

The hosts created the first opening of the second half when Townsend received the ball on the right some 25 yards from goal but his left foot shot was high and wide of target.

On 59 minutes, with Sim off the field for treatment, the visitors Akheem Belford capitalised on the vacant space left by the Heath defender to advance down the left and he struck a sweet left foot shot from the angle which went narrowly over the bar.

Straight up the other end and it was Evans again, this time winning the ball off a defender and taking aim with a right foot shot from distance over the crossbar.

The equaliser came on 71 minutes; a corner from the right was played into the Heath danger area to Becks centre-half Oscar Williams who swung out a right foot to net from close range, a disappointing goal for the Bears to concede.

Into the closing stages of the match and a misplaced Heath pass allowed Beckenham’s Louie Theophanous to run at goal, Bears keeper Billy Eastwood was out quickly and made a superb save at the strikers feet, the ball went straight into the path of Brissett who hit it first time but wide of goal, a real let off for the home-side.

Into injury time and it looked like the sides would share the points but another misplaced pass allowed Theophanous a chance to redeem his earlier miss and this time the striker made no mistake and went on to drill a low shot past Eastwood to earn his side victory.

Heath Manager Chris Simmons said “Gutted to have not even got a point last night, the lads were excellent 1st half and should have been out of sight by half-time but Beckenham were clinical and punished us for every mistake. We go again on Saturday at home to Bridges”.

Team: Eastwood, Sim, Chesworth, Penfold, Bromage, Terry, Dowdell (Cranmer-Flynn 80), Parmiter (Croal 86), Evans, Hay (Buchanan 26), Lemon.