Despite heavy overnight rain, the Racecourse Ground was declared fit for play so Prime headed to Tonbridge with a chance of going top of the table.

The visitors were missing Parsons and Abu, but otherwise had a strong squad with Barnham and Sander starting and Ellis, Polinski and Mazurkiewicz contenting themselves with a place on the bench.

The home side were unrecognisable from the meeting between the two sides earlier in the season, with a suspicion of a few first team players being amongst their ranks - so Prime knew this would not be easy.

The pitch was cutting up quite badly during the warm up and it was obvious that if Prime were to win this, they would need to win the battle in midfield.

Goldsmith and Gilbert were the busier defensive pairing in the opening period, but despite them and full-backs Davis and Barnham often being at full-stretch, they kept the dangerous Roselands strikers out.

Prime took the lead on 10 minutes. Goldsmith's free-kick was headed clear initially but Matt Walker got to the ball first and stabbed the ball back for Goldsmith to deliver a raking through ball which skipped off the sodden surface, deceiving both Roselands centre-backs and their keeper - who spilled the ball at the feet of Sander who was on hand to poke home.

Roselands continued to look dangerous and Barnham headed off the line from a corner and Kerton made some crucial saves. Their best chance came when Goldsmith screamed for an offside flag that never came - but their striker shot wastefully wide with a team-mate screaming for a square ball to tap into an empty net.

After this reprieve, Prime started to get the ball down and Henshall was looking increasingly dangerous down the left with his close control too much for Roselands' hapless right-back.

Prime got their second goal when Joe Walker outstripped their backline to roll the ball home.

Roselands pulled one back soon after when again they sprang the offside trap and this time their striker rounded Kerton and slotted home.

With captain Matt Walker and the industrious Walters working hard in midfield, Prime managed to see the game out until the break.

The second half started in much the same vein with Roselands pressing but Prime now looked very dangerous on the break. The next goal was likely to be crucial - and Prime got it.

Excell worked some space on the right hand side and his measured through ball found hot-shot Joe Walker who beat the onrushing keeper to the ball and rolled the ball home.

Any thoughts of the game being over were soon shelved when the Roselands midfielder found space on the left and his mis-hit cross sailed over Kerton and into the net.

Immediately Goldsmith - who was struggling with a groin strain - came off, with Matt Walker reverting to centre-back and Polinski entering the fray.

Prime had some glorious chances to extend their lead again, but Joe Walker, Excell and Polinski were all denied by the unorthodox Roselands keeper.

Ellis and Mazurkiewicz came on for Giblert and Barnham who had solid games in defence as Prime sought to see out the remaining 20 minutes.

But with 15 to go, a neat link up in midfield left their midfielder clean through to lob home over the stranded Kerton to level the game.

The goal seemed to awaken Prime who went straight up the other end and won a corner. The first of these was cleared, but from another flag-kick minutes later, the Roselands defence only half-cleared and Henshall smashed in an unstoppable volley from just inside the box.

Matt Walker made a couple of vital interceptions in the closing stages as Prime clung on the a vital 3 points that will send them top of the table if (as expected) Tonbridge Invicta's game was called off today.

On paper this was a game that Prime should have won easily, but Roselands Reserves are a much better side than their league position would indicate and they will take points off of Prime's title rivals in the run-in.