The Nyewood Lane outfit picked up another valuable three points on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home to basement boys Bowers & Pitsea but are still second from bottom in the table and still 10 points from the safety zone with an inferior games-played tally.
Tommy-Lee Higgs hit his 19th goal of the season from the penalty spot just before the break to hand the home side the victory but a more flattering score line should have been secured given the dominant display.
So, the mission supporters are calling the “Great Escape” lives on for the rejuvenated Rocks but in reality, there is a long way to go to secure safety. Yet the joint managers refuse to contemplate relegation until the numbers condemn them and they emitting nothing but good vibes as they prepare their players for the away trip to Carshalton Athletic on Saturday.
Part of the re-shaping of the team saw them bring in Bailey Smith, 19, recently and this week they have allowed Lewis Beale to leave the club in pursuit of more game time. Smith is a former Brighton academy winger, who signed on dual registration forms from Worthing. And already he has made an impact, says Howell.
He added: “Bailey’s a good lad and we are pleased to have him. He’s been a bit unfortunate; he was at Brighton and got an injury and now he is finding a bit of form — he’s duel-registered with Worthing and it’s great for us to have him.
“He is an exciting player and he is direct and he suits the way we play. I think he created some great opportunities in the first half with some good balls and some balls he will be disappointed with but, overall, he has become a real asset for us and we are delighted to have him.”
Meanwhile, Birmingham thanked Beale for his service after being instrumental in signing him in December from Southern League Premier South side Wimborne Town. He said: “All the best to Lewis, we appreciate his efforts — and of course we wish him well for the future.”
Reflecting on the latest triumph, he added: “It could have been more and it should have been more but at the end of the day you only get three points and that’s the most important thing. The boys were excellent and fair play to them. We now have back-to-back wins and back-to-back clean sheets and we will take that, one hundred per cent.”
*Rocks have appointed a new commercial manager in the shape of Alison Raymond. She is already inviting interest from businesses to enter the club’s Annual Sponsors’ Draw for the 2025/26 season, with a top prize of shirt sponsorship. Please email alison@bognorregistownfc.co.uk
