With an injury list seemingly growing by the day and a fixture list that has already thrown some of the toughest opponents in the division at them, Jamie Crellin’s side are facing a mammoth task in their first taste of Step 3 football.

The hosts started brightly and Irving was forced to clear off the line following a Stevenson header in the seventh minute. Bridges were close to striking first on the counter just five minutes later, however, when Carlos Richards forced a smart save from Harvey in the Chatham goal.

The balance of the game was heavily influenced by a controversial decision midway through the first half. Hayden Velvick competed for a header with a Chatham winger just outside the penalty area and, to the bemusement of everyone in the away camp, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot despite the contact appearing to take place outside the box.

Noel Leighton and Jamie Crellin were both shown yellow cards on the Bridges bench for their protests, and Chatham made the most of the opportunity as Stevenson converted the resulting penalty in the 26th minute.

Chances were at a premium for the remainder of the first half, with the hosts looking good value for their lead going into the break.

Chatham continued to dictate the tempo after the restart and deservedly extended their advantage in the 57th minute following a sloppy clearance from the Bridges defence. Sam Roberts produced an excellent save to deny Wild’s header, but Evan reacted quickest to turn home the rebound and make it 2–0.

Bridges were handed a way back into the contest by none other than Kevin Rivera, who has been a shining light during a difficult start to life at Step 3. The midfielder controlled a pass from Holden, twisted and turned his defender before dispatching a powerful low strike at the near post to reduce the deficit.

Chatham wasted little time in regaining control, but Roberts kept Bridges in the game with two very smart saves to deny Stevenson in the 74th minute and Oldfield seven minutes later.

The visitors’ hopes then received a massive boost in the 83rd minute when a rash and forceful tackle from Garlinge on Velvick saw the Chatham player shown a straight red card without hesitation.

Sometimes it is the hope that kills you, and in this case it lasted barely a minute.

Ben Allen struck from outside the box and his effort took an unfortunate deflection off Billy Irving before wrong-footing the helpless Roberts and finding the net to make it 3–1 to the delight of the home supporters.

Connor Hayden-Pickering looked to have reduced the deficit with the final kick of the game, producing a beautifully placed finish, but the linesman correctly raised his flag for offside.

It was another encouraging performance from Bridges, but despite their efforts they remain without a point from their opening three matches and sit at the bottom of the table.

Given that Crellin’s side have faced three clear favourites for promotion during a particularly difficult start to the season, there is no reason to raise the panic alarm. However, with the squad severely decimated by injuries, the remaining players will need to produce something special to turn performances into points.

They will hope that starts next Saturday when Aveley visit Jubilee Field. With Crawley Town season ticket holders who are not travelling to Rochdale eligible for half-price entry, Bridges will be hoping for a strong home support as they look to kick-start their Isthmian Premier campaign.