Heybridge started 1999 as they ended 1998 with a 1-0 win, the latest success coming on their first ever visit to former Conference side Slough.

The win, sealed by a single goal, lifted Swifts off the bottom of the premier division.

Heybridge were without Mark Cranfield, suspended for one match, but welcomed back goalkeeper and captain Kingsley Banks and defender Colin Wall, following the birth of his first son.

The home side looked sharp up front in the opening exchanges and a superb move in the seventh minute saw them have the first real chance.

A through ball into the box by England semi-professional international Endersby and Hammatt produced a clever pass on the turn to set up Fiore but the Swifts defence reacted quickly to block his shot.

In the 12th minute, a run by Swifts' Adam Gillespie took him out wide on the left and his cross was cut out by a defender but fell into the path of Alex Fiddes whose drive was tipped over by home goalkeeper, Wilkinson.

Slough then had a chance at the other end. A gap opened up in the middle of the Swifts defence, and Hammatt charged through but hesitated in hitting his shot and it gave Ben Lewis enough time to make a fine tackle.

Heybridge were then forced into making a substitution with the injured Wayne Adcock being replaced with Ashley Bond in the 16th minute.

Swifts' hard working front two of Christian McClean and Chris Heasman combined well to send Fiddes down the left but his cross just eluded the head of the incoming Nicky Simpson.

In the 33rd minute, Slough broke forward and a first time cross was met by an acrobatic volley from Fiore on the edge of the box and Banks made a superb save to palm the ball over the bar.

Just before half time a long ball forward by Lewis cleared the home defence and a superb effort saw McClean get to the ball with a diving header but it slipped just wide of the near post.

The second half started with Simpson going close and the deadlock was broken on 53 minutes.

Swifts won a free kick just outside the box; Colin Wall drove the ball powerfully through the wall, it getting a deflection just to make sure that Wilkinson had no chance of stopping it.

Lewis then took a nasty blow to the throat, which forced him out of the game and Phil Coombes replaced him.

Swifts won another free kick, this time a little further out but Wall struck it well and it flew just over the bar.

In the last ten minutes both sides went close as the match finished with a flurry of chances.

With nine minutes to go, Kemp got a looping header over Banks but the Swifts keeper stretched back and finger tipped the ball onto the bar and over to safety.

It should have been all over two minutes later when Gillespie's pass found Heasman in the Slough box, but with just the keeper to beat, Heasman side footed the ball wide of a post, much to his dismay.

Swifts conceded a late free kick, which saw goalscorer Wall booked and when the kick was chipped into the far post Banks did well to hold the cross as he fell back under pressure.

Heybridge Swifts: Banks, Adcock, Cutbush, Wall, Lewis, Streetley, Simpson, Gillespie, McClean, Heasman and Fiddes. Substitutes: Bond (for Adcock 16m); Coombes (for Lewis 61m) and Rodgers (not used).

On Saturday Swifts are again in Ryman League action, when they visit Basingstoke Town.

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