Mildenhall 1 Bowers & Pitsea 2

Ten-man league leaders Bowers & Pitsea came from behind to deepen the home side’s relegation worries as goals from substitutes Jamie Dicks and James Thomas proved decisive, writes Dave Meeson.

Mildenhall, on the other hand, will be ruing a crucial penalty miss from Evans Kouassi with the scores level and the game in the balance as they are now seven points from safety.

The visitors pushed forward from the start and forced a series of corners and long throws with their direct approach and could have had an early penalty when home keeper Jake Heyhoe ran into striker Lewis Manor when trying to claim a high ball.

Nevertheless it was ‘Hall who went closest in the opening stages as new striker Stuart Zanone latched on to a clearance from Bowers keeper Andrew Wilton with an audacious 40-yard volley which Wilton scrambled to safety.

Jack Heyhoe saved a Lewis Clark drive with his feet before Mildenhall took the lead on 27 minutes when Lee Watkins got behind the Bowers defence and pulled the ball back to Kouassi who powerfully drove home from the edge of the area.

The league’s leading scorer David Knight was the next to test Heyhoe before the break and there was more of the same after the restart as Heyhoe somehow kept out Knight from point-blank range.

Matters the appeared to swing the ‘Hall’s way on the hour as visiting midfielder Callum Leahy was sent off after trampling on Tommy Robinson.

However, the league leaders would not lie down and equalised on 70 minutes from another corner as Bradley Warner’s delivery was headed back by Manor for Dicks to finish.

Ricky Cornish’s men were then awarded a spot kick seven minutes from time after Tom Boxer was brought down in a goalmouth scramble only for Kouassi to side-foot his effort against the outside of the post. The decisive goal arrived on 88 minutes when Bowers broke up field and Quentin Monville sent over an inch-perfect cross for Thomas to head home.