New faces and win fire Heath
Haywards Heath Town’s Isthmian League play-off push is back on track – and has been boosted by a double swoop.
Martin Dynan’s team ended their mini league slump with a 1-0 home win over Faversham on Saturday that put them back in the play-off places.
It’s all to play for with nine games to go – a run-in that starts at Hythe on Saturday – and now the squad has been strengthened by two new arrivals. They have recruited Dorking Wanderers midfielder Olly Allen on loan and striker Kesna Clarke from Tooting and Mitcham on a permanent deal.
Both are young attacking players that have attracted interest from Premier League and Football League clubs over the past year.
Dynan said: ‘Both are bright young players that have bags of ability and even more potential.
“Olly comes in on loan to help bolster the midfield and add some much-needed quality in the final third, with Kesna a permanent signing who will no doubt assist in firing us back into the play-offs.
“I am excited that I am able to start adding my stamp to the squad.”
Heath coach Glen Nichols used to coach Allen at AFC Wimbledon.
“He was able to dictate and influence games so effectively,” Nichols said.
Like Allen, Clarke has been linked with a Premier League move in recent months having scored 36 goals for the under-18s at Tooting and Mitcham.
On Saturday Gil Carvalho’s 22nd minute finish gave the Blues the victory over Faversham as they regained their place in the top five of the Isthmian south east table.
Faversham came into the game with the league’s Golden Gloves award for February having kept clean sheets in all three fixtures they played. But that was broken when a stop-start game opened up for a brief moment as winger Ibrahim Jalloh found Carvalho on the left, and he rounded the onrushing keeper to slot home from ten yards.
On Tuesday night Heath lost 2-0 at Horsham in the Velocity Trophy quarter-finals, a goal either side of the break ending teir fine run in the competition.
Meanwhile Burgess Hill Town lost 2-1 at Lancing on Saturday and look to bounce back at home to Whitstable on Saturday.