RUSTHALL remain bottom of the Southern Counties East League Premier Division despite a good performance against an experienced Sheppey side.
Rusthall gave debuts to three new signings, Ryan Styles, Moses Sunday and Nodirbek Bobonurovov going straight into the first team to give the Rustics a very youthful look.
The first half was relatively even but just before half-time the home side conceded a penalty when Tarik Ibrahim had his heels clipped by the otherwise excellent Styles.
The league’s top scorer Dan Bradshaw stepped up to score an unstoppable spot-kick to give the visitors the lead going into the interval.
Rusthall’s chances of getting back into the contest were dealt a blow when the captain Paul Butler was given a straight red card for what the referee decided was a dangerous tackle.
That allowed Sheppey to intensify their attacks and the visitors extended their lead with a goal from Rob Denness in injury time.
Rusthall’s next match is away to Fisher on Saturday, January 26 [kick-off 3pm].