Christmas is fast approaching and Paul Sales is poised to give Bashley that precious gift - of goals.

After three months sidelined with groin trouble, the silky-skilled, Southampton-based striker made a 20-minute comeback as a substitute at the Recreation Ground on Saturday - and it was as if he had never been away.

Bashley were living unnecessarily dangerously having let Burnham claw back from a three-goal deficit to make it 3-2 after 55 minutes.

With confidence growing in the visiting ranks, it was going to take something special to keep Jim Greenwood's mid-table side at bay.

And, inevitably, it was Sales who provided it, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute to net a magical goal which capped a nine-out-of -nine-point week for Bashley, keeping them hot on the heels of Eastern Division leaders Dorchester.

Two-goal Danny Gibbons sought out Sales with a raking crossfield pass and the 28-year-old proved that old habits die hard, wrong-footing defender Steve Lockhart before clipping a measured shot into the far corner.

"That's what Paul does!" marvelled Bash assistant manager Fraser Quirke. "He's been out of the game for three months and, in 20 minutes, he's settled back into the old routine.

"I'd imagine it'll take him three or four games to get back to where he thinks he should be.

"Although he's worked hard to get fit, he was tired even after such a short time. You can do all you like in the gym and on the road, but you only get match fit by playing.

"But there's no rush to throw him straight back in. We'll introduce him slowly, using him more and more each game."

With Gibbons in such hot scoring form, Bash can afford to use Sales sparingly. The former Newport IoW striker has found the target five times in the four games - though, arguably, his first on Saturday should never have been given.

With Bashley leading by a deflected ninth-minute Craig Anstey goal, 25-year-old Gibbons appeared to use his hand to put away one of a flurry of precision left-wing crosses from man-of-the-match Mark Lisk in the 39th minute.

He got away with it and, two minutes later, the Bournemouth lad was celebrating again when he latched onto a weak back pass, hurdled keeper Danny Honey and rolled the ball into an empty net to put Bashley 3-0 up and seemingly coasting.

But Burnham hit back before half-time with a Terry Mitchell penalty, awarded for Aaron Cook's tug on dangerman Michael Bartley, and it was Bartley himself who set home pulses racing with a 55th-minute header from Mark O'Sullivan's right-wing delivery.

Sales's fairytale finish restored an air of calm to the proceedings but the former Salisbury hotshot admitted afterwards: "I didn't feel fit. I was breathing a bit heavily, but it was nice to be scoring again - especially with my left foot. I don't get many with my left."

Bashley have now gone ten games unbeaten in the league and Quirke, for one, was pleased with the way the team responded under the pressure of a Burnham fightback.

He said: "We showed a lot of character and discipline and worked hard on the ugly side of the game to keep Burham at bay.

"Danny's done tremendously well getting another two goals. I thought he had a strong claim for the first too. He didn't touch it, but it was his pressure that forced the defender to get a toe on Craig's shot. That's the rub of the green you get when things are going well for you.

"There were some lovely crosses from Mark Lisk and Craig Anstey today and, if we can get out wide and put in quality deliveries, then we will always score goals."