The Bears first ever trip to the Mayfield Stadium home of AFC Croydon Athletic for an Isthmian League South-East division match with the Bears hoping to extend their unbeaten run to five games.

There was little to write home about after the opening minutes with the game switching from end to end but with neither side able to create a clear goal scoring opportunity. The home side had the first attempt on goal when Ibby Akanbi hit a right foot shot low across the face of goal but wide of the post and not causing any problems for Heath goalkeeper Alfie Hadfield.

Heath’s first chance came on 17 minutes when Callum Dowdell played a free kick from the left towards the far post which was met by Sal Marino who powered a header that flew narrowly over the Rams crossbar.

Minutes late Byron Napper played a long ball forward to striker Mark Goldson who shrugged off a defender to run through and drill a low left shot past Croydon’s goalkeeper Amadou Tangara for his 18th goal in 29 matches for The Bears.

The Bears continued to create the better chances and on 34 minutes Tad Bromage picked out Sal Marino with a long diagonal ball towards the right flank, Marino played it first time into the danger area where Goldson struck a shot that was saved well by Tangara on the goal-line.

In the closing stages of the half the hosts had a great chance to equalise when a long ball forward over the Heath defence found Josh Bayliss in space to run through on goal but the Croydon player drilled a low shot wide of target and it remained 0-1 at the break.

Heath made a great start to the second half with Mason Doughty firing a low right foot shot that flew narrowly wide of the post but for the next 10 minutes it was all the Rams winning a succession of corners but unable to find that final clinical finish that would turn chances into goals.

Rams midfield player Kadell Daniel inexplicably blasting a right foot shot over the crossbar from point blank range and then going close with a free kick from 20 yards.

The equalising goal came on the hour mark and it was a gift for the home-side, Heath were awarded a free kick wide on the right and close to the touch-line, Tad Bromage played the ball back to Hadfield who was closed down quickly by Akanbi but the ball took a terrible bounce coming off the Heath keeper and Akanbi was on him in a flash to steal the ball and run it into the empty net.

Both sides could have won it in the closing stages for the Rams Josh Bayliss fired just over the Heath crossbar and for The Bears, deep into injury time, Andy Waddingham played a ball down the left flank to Stan Berry who ran away for the defence and hit a fierce low shot that Tangara saved brilliantly to earn his side a share of the points.

So Heath make it five games unbeaten or just one defeat in their last nine games, Next up is a home game on Saturday 29th March against Sheppey United, Kick Off at 3.00pm.

Team: Hadfield, Fuller, Chesworth, Napper, Bromage, Peters, Dowdell (Berry 85), Marino (Waddingham 76), Evans, Goldson, Doughty (Adam 70).