Badshot Lea 1, Redhill 1

‘Nothing will beat that!’

That was Badshot Lea boss Gavin Smith’s appreciative assessment of a potential goal of the season as a wonder strike from Max Herbert earned his side a point against Redhill at Krooner Park on Saturday.

Trailing 1-0 to a first-half goal from Francis Tango, Lea levelled the scores in spectacular style early in the second as Herbert ghosted in at the back post to send a rasping left-foot volley from Brandon Lewington’s deep corner back across the goalkeeper and into the far corner.

“Max has got a really good left foot and he’s got the technique to do it. It was class, everyone was in shock,” said Smith, whose side moved to within one win of Premier Division safety with the hard-earned point.

“We didn’t play that well,” admitted Smith. “That was their ninth game without a win but they weren’t a bad side. They pressed us in the first half and we tried to play football but because of the bobble on the pitch they more often than not got to us before we could get the ball under control. They were shutting us down and definitely looked more likely to score than we did.”

And score they did as Redhill set up a lightning-fast counterattack after a Badshot Lea free kick came to nothing on the half-hour mark. Home goalkeeper Jordan Clement made a crucial save from the initial strike at goal but was powerless to stop Tango racing in and smashing home the rebound to put Redhill ahead.

“It’s not good being a goal down,” said Smith, “but we know when we shoot downhill we always create chances and the game is completely different, and we probably could have won.

“Shaq (Williams) missed a really good opportunity at 1-1 which he would usually score but the second half was okay, we did a lot better, and then Max Herbert scored an unbelievable goal.”

The point gained at Lea’s temporary Krooner Park home brought a successful end to a sequence of March fixtures which has effectively, if not quite mathematically, left Lea safe to ponder the prospect of life in the Premier Division in their posh new home in Wrecclesham.

The Baggies picked up 11 points from a possible 18 courtesy of three wins, two draws and only one defeat last month – 2-0 at highflying Abbey Rangers on a stormy day – which has left them needing just one more win to be mathematically certain of dining at the top table of the Combined Counties League again next term, a victory they were hoping to pick up when they travelled up the A3 to face Balham on Wednesday night.

“We’ve lost only one game in March, so that’s really good,” said Smith.

“Eleven points out of 18 is a good return for what we want to be doing. Obviously we would have liked it to be more and Saturday would have been ideal if we could have picked up the extra two points, but it wasn’t to be.

“But there are other teams in a worse position than us – we’re not the only team that could go down mathematically. There are a lot of teams between us and the bottom two and we’ve got games in hand on some of them. But it’s all in our own hands now – win on Wednesday and it’s done.”

After Wednesday’s trip to Balham who, like Badshot Lea, are forced to groundshare with Colliers Wood, the Baggies face a curious home game against title favourites Chertsey Town.

Chertsey are five points behind leaders Sutton Common Rovers but have got a massive seven games in hand – and that’s a porblem because their heroic run to the final of the FA Vase at Wembley has left them with 12 league games to play before the end of April.

Lea were beaten only by a stoppage-time winner when they played at Chertsey early in Smith’s reign and he is hoping to turn the tables on Saturday, especially as it will be the Curfews’ third game in six days.

“Every team in the league is capable of doing something on the night but we’ll just go there and play our game,” said Smith.

“They are capable of beating teams convincingly and they’ve got players to hurt people, but last time we played them it was a good game and there’s no reason we can’t do that again.”

Badshot Lea: Clement, Pound (Sowden 80), Flanaghan, Scott, Bonsu, Lloyd, Cadete, Herbert, Williams, Lewington (Cousins) 69), Blake. Subs (not used): Close.

* Goals from Brandon Lewington and Max Herbert earned Badshot Lea a 2-2 draw away against relegation-threatened Balham at the Wibbandune on Wednesday night.

Lewington had given Lea a first-half lead before two goals from Dan Forde turned the match on its head. But Herbert, who scored a wonder goal to earn his side a point at home to Redhill on Saturday, popped up at the far post to convert substitute Josh Pound’s inswinging cross to leave Lea one win from Premier Division safety.