Bowers & Pitsea 1–2 Heybridge Swifts

(Sartain 29’: Luque 63’, Callander 86’)

From the Len Salmon Stadium

Isthmian North

HEYBRIDGE Swifts came from behind to defeat Bowers & Pitsea and strengthen their Isthmian North play-off claim.

Luke Callander climbed off the bench to score the winner four minutes from time to leave Bowers a point off the automatic promotion places.

Both sides had lofty ambitions for the final run-in and it was Swifts, despite their busy schedule, that played the better football in the opening 15 minutes.

Joan Luque’s free-kick was deflected just wide of Callum Chafer’s post with Bowers often looking for the runs of Fahad Nyanja over the top.

The hosts were threatening most from range with Ben Sartain and Callum Leahy trying their luck from 20 yards, the latter bringing a smart stop out of Jake Jessup.

But while Swifts had most of the ball they created little and Bowers pounced.

On the half hour a ball was not cleared and Sartain let rip from the edge of the penalty area and the ball raced past Jessup.

Into the second half, Swifts continued to press the Bowers goal and they levelled with their first clear cut chance of the half.

On the hour, Luque swung in a left wing free-kick and it beat everyone to nestle in the far corner.

Kreshnic Krasniqi sent a terrific long range strike inches over the crossbar before the winner.

Luque’s free-kick was headed across the face of goal and Callander slammed the ball home from on the goal-line.

Bowers & Pitsea: Chafer, Boswell, Thomas, Stokes, Easterford, Leahy, Pinto, Sartain, Knight (Hughes 80’), Dicks, Nyanja (Vyse 80’)