It was heartbreak for the Rocks at Nyewood Lane today as Bognor fell to another late goal to be on the reverse of a 2-1 defeat to Canvey Island despite Spencer Spurway’s wonder goal to equalise.

Early on Harry Clout did well to find Tommy-Lee Higgs on the turn but his low bouncing strike was straight at Bobby Mason.

Conor Hubble stroked it wide after good work down the left in response.

Clout made good headway before finding Dan Gifford who fired it powerfully low along the deck but it was pushed wide by the goalkeeper.

Bradley Sach did well to leap up and nod a chance in the air at goal following a long-lofted pass forward.

On 9 minutes it was Calvin Davies who found Clout inside the box from the right for Clout but he hit the side netting with his low effort.

Thomas Stephen curled a chance over the bar after Matthew Yates’s bouncing cross from the right.

Toby Kingswell did well to hook the ball into the area before Clout played it across goal but it was headed away by the defence.

Following Bognor’s fifth corner, the ball fell out to Spencer Spurway who made an effort fire high over the crossbar from outside the box.

Sach headed on a long ball for Chris Harris to run onto.  He went onto hit the side netting from a tight angle on 23 minutes.

Sach latched onto a headed cross out to him before hitting it on the rise with his first touch off the left post and out on 29 minutes.

A yellow card was shown to Stephen for his late challenge on Gifford on the halfway line on 34 minutes.

A good cut out by Kingswell saw him find Burgess with a pass but his left-footed effort was well stopped by Mason on 35 minutes.

A Burgess corner almost flew in but Mason managed to palm it out again by flapping at it.

Higgs was blocked with his effort as Clout had teed him up with a neat pass before Tyler Edmondson headed it into the path of Sach down the other end but his first touch saw him fire it high and wide on the rise.

HT 0 – 0

An early opportunity for the Rocks saw Haydon Vaughan get a cross in fiercely from the left but it was cut out by Mason.

Davies took a freekick after Gifford was fouled.  It was headed straight back to Davies who hit a curling effort agonisingly wide.

Bognor went behind on 50 minutes when a cross by Thomas Stephen was headed into the net with a looping effort by Chris Harris.

Harris was again set through to shoot low after this but Ryan Hall pushed it away to Spurway who cleared it on 54 minutes.

Then Harris had another strike fly over the bar with Sach the provider.  Higgs responded with a low strike blocked by the defence down the other end.

Then Sach nodded down a loose high ball for Yates to shoot early, but he was denied.

Clout, now playing on the left since Jasper Mather came on, got the ball square to Burgess who turned quickly but he curled it over the bar on 66 minutes.

Bognor scored the equaliser on 68 minutes.  It was more of a cross from the right by Spencer Spurway but it flew over Mason and high into the left side of the net.

Hall made a good save as Canvey attacked straight away. Then Clout had a great effort denied by Mason down the other end on 70 minutes.

Mather did well to cut it back to Spurway who hit another long range effort across goal which was pushed away.

The ball from Bognor’s 12th corner went short and Davies passed to Tommy Block who hit it narrowly over the bar from 25 yards out.

Bognor conceded late in the 86th minute. A simple long lofted ball fell straight to Finlay Dorrell who did well to hold onto the ball before firing it below Hall and into the net.

Gifford played the ball out wide to Mather who ran on but his cross was searching for Callum Barlow but Mason got there first in the air.

But it wasn’t to be for Bognor as Canvey Island took all of the points in a heartbreaking afternoon for the hosts.  Rocks have another home game next as they welcome Cray Valley PM to Nyewood Lane on Saturday 19th October, with kick off at 3pm.

Rocks: Hall, Davies (c), Gamblin, Kingswell (Block 57), Spurway, Edmondson, Vaughan (Mather 61), Burgess, Gifford, Higgs (Barlow 82), Clout
Subs Not Used: Woolston, Long