RUSTHALL missed a chance to climb out of the relegation zone after a frustrating draw at home to a side they felt they could have beaten.
Their nearest rivals for drop in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division, Hollands & Blair and Punjab United, lost away from home.
Both have two games in hand on the Rustics, but they were unbeaten in their previous seven games after a poor first half of the campaign.
Bearsted may also be in the lower reaches of the division but they were the dominant team in the first half and would have been disappointed to be only 1-0 up at half-time.
Rusthall had problems dealing with the threat on their left flank, and two crosses saw the Bearsted front men blazing over the bar.
For the home side Louis Anderson turned and shot powerfully from a corner which the visiting goalkeeper was able to parry.
The lively Moses Sunday had a shot which was saved easily. Eventually Sam Flisher beat the home defence and scored with a low shot into the corner of the Rusthall goal.
The second half saw Rusthall dominate throughout, and the pressure led to a free kick just outside the Bearsted box, from which dead-ball specialist Robbie Bissett scored via a deflection.
From then on it was Rusthall who looked more likely to find the winner, and they nearly did in the closing minutes when Louis Clarke cut inside from the wing and hit the inside of the post but the ball bounced out instead of in.
Rusthall now travel to Erith Town on Saturday [March 30, kick-off 3pm].
