Five-Star Bridges Blitz Local Rivals in Derby Delight

Three Bridges 5–0 East Grinstead Town
Isthmian South East Division – Tuesday 11 November 2025, Jubilee Field

Three Bridges continued their march at the top of the Isthmian South East Division with a commanding 5–0 victory over struggling East Grinstead Town at Jubilee Field, sealing a season double over their local rivals in emphatic fashion.

On paper, it was a meeting of opposites — Bridges starting the night two points clear at the summit, while the Wasps arrived rooted to the bottom with just three points from sixteen games. Yet manager Jamie Crellin reminded his side before kick-off that derbies have their own script, and the opening half-hour reflected that caution.

Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, Bridges initially found East Grinstead’s deep defensive line difficult to penetrate. The visitors even carved out the first real opening on 27 minutes, when Dan Perry broke clear, only for Sam Roberts to stand tall and make a smart stop.

That save proved pivotal, as Bridges broke the deadlock nine minutes later. Nabeel Ghannam’s inviting back-post cross was nodded back across goal by Kevin Rivera, allowing skipper Noel Leighton to loop a fine header beyond Donovan for 1–0.

The goal released any lingering tension, and within four minutes the hosts struck again. Bryan Villavicencio’s surging run and clever pass found Leighton, who calmly slotted home with his left foot to double the advantage before half-time.

Bridges emerged from the interval brimming with confidence, moving the ball with assurance and controlling proceedings without needing to shift beyond second gear. The third goal arrived in the 63rd minute — fittingly from Villavicencio himself — who capped a man-of-the-match performance by rifling a superb near-post finish into the top corner.

Leighton came agonisingly close to a hat-trick with two quickfire chances on 66 and 67 minutes, but both were thwarted by Donovan. It mattered little, as the hosts’ dominance continued to tell. Ade Adeyinka added a fourth on 77 minutes, sweeping home a loose ball inside the area, before doubling his tally in stoppage time — reacting sharply after George Falzon’s run and shot had been blocked to make it five.

As the final whistle blew, jubilant home supporters celebrated another statement victory and back-to-back derby triumphs this season — nine goals scored, just one conceded. For East Grinstead, the outlook looks bleak, now with three points from seventeen games and relegation appearing inevitable.

Bridges, meanwhile, remain top with 39 points from 17 games and a remarkable +30 goal difference. Their promotion push continues with a tough trip to AFC Croydon Athletic on Saturday, followed by a County Cup clash at home next Tuesday night.

			Home				Away				Total
			P	W	D	L	P	W	D	L	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
	1	Three Bridges	9	8	1	0	8	4	2	2	17	12	3	2	47	17	+30	39
	2	AFC Whyteleafe	9	7	1	1	8	4	1	3	17	11	2	4	49	18	+31	35
	3	Faversham Town	8	5	2	1	9	4	4	1	17	9	6	2	35	22	+13	33
	4	AFC Croydon Athletic	7	4	1	2	9	6	2	1	16	10	3	3	30	17	+13	33
	5	Herne Bay	8	4	1	3	9	5	1	3	17	9	2	6	31	28	+3	29
	6	Margate	9	6	2	1	8	1	5	2	17	7	7	3	36	27	+9	28
	7	Deal Town	9	5	1	3	8	4	0	4	17	9	1	7	37	33	+4	28
	8	Broadbridge Heath	9	7	1	1	7	1	1	5	16	8	2	6	38	25	+13	26
	9	Merstham	9	4	3	2	8	3	2	3	17	7	5	5	30	27	+3	26
	10	Sheppey United	9	6	1	2	8	2	1	5	17	8	2	7	30	34	-4	26
	11	Eastbourne Town	8	4	3	1	9	3	0	6	17	7	3	7	24	34	-10	24
	12	Sittingbourne	7	4	2	1	8	2	2	4	15	6	4	5	23	21	+2	22
	13	Jersey Bulls	5	2	3	0	9	3	3	3	14	5	6	3	22	17	+5	21
	14	Hassocks	9	3	3	3	7	2	3	2	16	5	6	5	21	23	-2	21
	15	Crowborough Athletic	7	4	1	2	9	2	1	6	16	6	2	8	24	36	-12	20
	16	Erith Town	8	2	3	3	9	2	4	3	17	4	7	6	23	27	-4	19
	17	Hastings United	9	2	2	5	8	2	2	4	17	4	4	9	23	28	-5	16
	18	Sevenoaks Town	8	4	0	4	8	1	1	6	16	5	1	10	23	34	-11	16
	19	VCD Athletic	8	2	2	4	8	1	2	5	16	3	4	9	18	33	-15	13
	20	Ashford United	8	2	3	3	6	1	0	5	14	3	3	8	25	27	-2	12
	21	Beckenham Town	8	2	2	4	7	0	1	6	15	2	3	10	22	38	-16	9
	22	East Grinstead Town	8	0	0	8	9	1	0	8	17	1	0	16	10	55	-45	3