First league win for Bognor Regis Town Football Club since early October

Image - Lyn Phillips

Goals from influential central defender Craig Robson and attacker Ashton Leigh earned Bognor the three points and saw the visitors leap-frog the hosts to eighth position in the league table.

Robson thrust the Rocks into a 1-0 lead on 18 minutes and Leigh doubled the advantage five minutes after the re-start before Steven Watt's men pulled one back through Sam Blackman's effort on 66 minutes.

It meant Bognor had to dig deep in spells to see out the game but given the possession dominance they enjoyed it was a target they were well able to achieve.

And Blake, along with manager Jack Pearce, paid tribute to his players following what has been a punishing week which has seen them cover around 800 miles to play three away games.

Bognor arrived in Kent having played last Sunday in Plymouth, suffering a 4-2 penalties defeat against Truro City, and fulfilling a midweek fixture in the Sussex Senior Cup at East Grinstead Town which saw them triumph 5-2.

The management team were forced to shuffle their pack before kick-off at Hartsdown Park when an ankle injury saw Joe Dandy's late withdrawal and Joe Cook, not fully fit, came into the side. It came on the back of Jake Flannigan's hamstring tweak forcing him out to the reckoning.

The togetherness witnessed by Blake left him delighted. He said: "We showed fantastic resilience to adapt to the late changes and we went on to play some superb passing football. The players worked tirelessly throughout and deserve great credit for their performance.

"It was a massive win for us because it means we maintain our position in and around the pack at the right end of the league table."

Blake was impressed with the diligence in which his charges undertook their tactical tasks, and believes keeping the good habits displayed augurs well going forward. Bognor are now gearing up for home game against Hornchurch on Saturday, November 27.

Blake added: "We have so much quality and we just need to get to a stage where we extend periods of that quality.

"We've shown we can hurt teams when we get out from the back, with quick, simple passing and movement. We have a very young squad and we believe the players are going to get better and better and so overall, we are pleased with the progress that we continue to make.

"We scored two wonderful goals against a Margate side who are well coached and to come away with the three points is fantastic."

Match report by Carl Eldridge
Pictures by Trevor Staff / Lyn Phillips

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