Murray in a hurry to dent Bosham title hopes

It leaves the men from Walton Lane still six points behind leaders Dorking.

Bosham welcomed back Gary Rowlands from injury and Graeme Dowden, but still had key players, including Andy Probee, Ben Blanshard and John Phillips, out through illness, leaving them with a much-changed side once again for another important game.

Both teams began slowly, but the home side soon showed glimpses of what they could do with Carlo Fernando and Luke Parsons looking dangerous every time they got the ball.

Bosham, on the other hand, were struggling to put the pieces of the jigsaw together to manufacture chances.

The visitors’ worst fears were realised just after the half-hour when they failed to deal with a free-kick launched into the box by the impressive Ben Mitchell.

The ball eventually fell kindly for John Pelham who needed no second invitation to slot home from close range to give Uckfield a deserved lead.

Bosham responded with Rowlands going close, but the Reds doubled their advantage minutes before the interval.

Haywood forced his way through a stretched Bosham defence to fire a low shot into the bottom corner, leaving Nathan Kohle exasperated.

Bosham improved after the break but still the luck seemed to desert them, despite the best intentions of captain Bradley Miles, constantly rallying the troops to up their efforts.

Ben Evans and Darren Cox came on late on as the management looked to find a way back through a change of personnel and tactics, and it partially worked when Tom Evans nodded home at the back stick to give them a late lifeline.

Uckfield felt the full force of the Bosham charge after that, but Mitchell was in sublime form at the back, marshalling his defence and putting in great tackles to deny the Robins’ advances. Eventually time ran out on Bosham and it was a cold and dispirited side that left the pitch at full time.

More work will have to be done to improve things this week but with the likes of Rowlands and Dowden yet to reach full match fitness, better times are surely only a short time away.

BOSHAM: Nathan Kohle, Andy Carrigher, Leon Smith, Paul Grantham, Tom Evans, Bradley Miles, Kieran Hartley, Gary Rowland, Graeme Dowden, Hugh Howden, Joe Hancock. Subs: Darren Cox, Ben Evans.

ALAN PRICE