YILA AT DOUBLE TO KO ROOKS
HIGH-FLYING Chatham Town produced a late goal blitz to ensure Lewes lost their third consecutive home league game.
A deflected effort from Jordy Robins and an injury-time double from Jamie Yila, one from the spot, saw the Chats take all three points in a feisty fixture.
The Rooks started the game the stronger of the two sides, keeping hold of the ball confidently inside a roaring Dripping Pan.
The home side were almost rewarded with a breakthrough inside nine minutes.
After clever wing play down the right, Kalvin Lubombo-Kalala met a cross that was hung towards the back post but he could only direct his header over the crossbar from close range.
Chatham then had their own golden opportunity for an opener.
A wonderfully worked move saw Miguel Scarlett run through on goal but he had his low, driven effort saved well by
Nathan Harvey in the Lewes net.
The Chats went close again just before the interval. Chris Dickson rose highest in the box but sent his headed effort just wide of Harvey’s post.
After an intense first 45 minutes with crunching tackles flying in from both sets of players, the half somehow ended goalless despite both Chatham and Lewes creating clearcut goalscoring opportunities.
The second period continued as an intense and feisty affair between the two.
Within five minutes Chatham should have had the lead.
Yila found room in the sixyard box and looked as though he had to put his side 1-0 up, but the wide man couldn’t get a clean strike of the ball and his attempt sailed miles over the bar.
The eventual breakthrough by Chatham came in 79th minute.
A defensive mistake allowed Yila to steal the ball and pull it back for Robins on the edge of the box. His strike took a wicked deflection, leaving Harvey with no chance.
In added time Chatham were able to put the game out of the Rooks’ reach.
They were awarded a penalty which Yila coolly slotted home in the fourth minute of stoppage time, sending Harvey the wrong way.
Yila added his second with a headed effort from a corner three minutes later to put the
icing on the cake for the visits tors.
The Chat remain nine points behind runaway lead ers Hornchurch, though the Urchins do have two games in hand on them.
Chatham have a seven-point cushion over third-placed Billand ericay Town are 12 points above sixth -placed Horsham, side just outside the playoff places.