LEX’S LATE SHOW GETS BRICKIES A BIG POINT

TWO KENT clubs with dreams of reaching the promotion places battled out a draw as Sittingbourne struck late to earn a dramatic point.

Both teams scored secondhalf goals with headers from defenders challenging at set pieces, with Lex Allan finally getting Sittingbourne their 89th-minute equaliser. Phoenix, second in the league and with an impressive goal-scoring record this season, had gone ahead on 68 minutes when a corner by former Sittingbourne player Conrad Lee was headed home from six yards by the unmarked Jack Berry. But Sittingbourne pushed hard for the equaliser and got it a minute from time when Reiss Crimmen’s free-kick into the area was squeezed home by Allan, crowning an excellent performance by a young defender who attracted the attention of a lot of Football League clubs last year.

After Sittingboune’s Tom Loynes was foiled by an early save by Phoenix captain-goalkeeper Steve Phillips, it was the away team who had slightly the better of the first half. Kweku Ansah lobbed a chance over the bar and Kyren Mundle-Smith saw his closerange shot saved by home keeper Patrick Lee. But neither team could break the deadlock in the first half despite the entertaining nature of the game, with Berry finally getting the game running with 20 minutes to go. Long throw-ins were Sittingbourne’s main weapon as they piled on the pressure in the closing stages but Phillips looked to have the monopoly of his area, denying the hosts a sniff until Allan finally broke his defences, poking one past the keeper as the game ended with honours even.

STAR MAN: Lex Allan (Sittingbourne) ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★