It was Chi’s fourth clean-sheet on the spin too as the West Sussex side extended an unbeaten run to six games.
The hosts have been in fine form of late, winning Performance of the Month in the Isthmian South East with a 2-0 win away at league leaders Ramsgate in February.
Chi keeper Kieran Magee was also the recipient of last month’s Golden Gloves Award and Miles Rutherford & Co, unsurprisingly, went with an unchanged starting XI.
City began brightly but conceded the first corner of the match however on five minutes after skipper Connor Cody turned the ball out.
Curtis Da Costa headed Billy Oram’s kick clear before Wild earned his side one at the Church End.
Rob Hutchings took this and hit a follow-up cross which Endurance Johnson gathered.
Cody was then seemingly impeded by striker Korrey Henry – nothing doing according to referee Daniel D’Urso.
Charlie Greenwood, who equalised in the reverse one-all draw at the start of the present unbeaten sequence in the last game of January, whipped in his corner straight into Magee’s hands.
Next, Oliver Khinda and Abel Vendrells hooked up, only for the move to fizzle out, and a Chi counter involving Clarke and Mo Jammeh led to Wild being flagged offside.
Isaac Bello, a shining light all night, turned on a bit of class as an opponent tried to bring him down and then delivered a bomb of a throw that Emmett Dunn got up too and Wild lifted over the frame of the goal.
Oram had a go at the other end and the ball bobbled in front of Magee and went out for a corner.
His counterpart Johnson was off his line swiftly ahead of Wild at the mid-point, although he couldn’t get to Wild’s first strike that looped up and out of his reach into the top right-hand side of the net on 24 minutes.
Bello then opened things up with a jinking run and Magee claimed from Henry, and Jude Molloy hit one wide of the mark.
Josh Clack charged down a centre back’s mishit before Clarke doubled the away team’s lead after a super move in the 29th minute.
Rob Hutchings fired narrowly over following a burst of pace driving down the left flank and Bello bailed Jammeh out after he lost the ball.
Clack then thumped a set-piece into the wall and the Moatsiders lost Oram to an injury which saw him replaced by Aaron Lamont.
The momentum shifted as Cody unnecessarily slipped and tripped Vendrells for a free-kick in a dangerous area, receiving a yellow card for his trouble.
Lamont struck this 41st minute set-piece straight into the wall however.
An offside decision was awarded against Merstham and then a clash of heads between Greenwood and Magee led to a lengthy delay in proceedings.
In the seven minutes of stoppage time Henry was booked for a foul on Dunn and Cody’s resulting free-kick sailed past everyone.
Dean Gunner joined Henry and Cody in the notepad for impeding Wild and the consequent kick forced the hosts to concede a corner, although Dunn’s header caused Johnson few problems.
Next, a neat pass by Clack to Bello and then Jammeh set up a glorious opportunity which the No10 couldn’t convert and Johnson saved.
And at the death, it looked like one of two Chichester players headed the ball out for a corner but Mr D’Urso awarded a goal kick.
There were no other changes at half time.
The hosts forced a couple of early corners as the home fans cranked up the noise.
Dunn did well to block Molloy’s cross and Hutchings held off Khinda on the opposite side.
Then Vendrells swiped one off target and seven minutes in Da Costa was adjudged to have made an unfair challenge.
Magee was on hand to deny Henry with a fine stop and subsequently punch clear.
The Chi custodian next collected as Greenwood almost got in on Vendrells’ pass.
Clack had an effort blocked in an otherwise purple patch for the Surrey side who were running midfield.
Clarke then tried to pick out Wild on 57; Wild won a corner a minute later which came to nothing; and Henry, not for the first or last time, was flagged offside.
Next, Da Costa found Wild who crashed an attempt off Johnson and into the side-netting.
The Chi striker couldn’t get a decent connection on Hutchings’ corner though but did when an exquisite Bello flick into his path in the 68th minute set him up for the final goal.
Both sides rang the changes as the home team introduced Lorenzo Lewis and Lloyd Rowlatt came on for Jammeh for the visitors.
Johnson then denied Wild after a nice pass from Clack who shortly made a great turn but couldn’t get a shot off.
Bello had a go on 84 which was steered out by Johnson for a corner and Cody tried to direct Hutchings’ kick on goal.
Clarke cleared substitute Ben Senior’s opportunity before Clack failed to pull the trigger.
Then Hutchings had a shot which Wild and Bello almost followed up.
Merstham had the ball in the back of the net with two minutes of normal time to go but it was ruled out for offside, and Wild’s attempt lacked power.
With five minutes of stoppage time added Magee beat Greenwood to the ball; Senior dragged one wide; Kyle O’Brien and Kaleem Haitham replaced Clack and Bello; and Lewis was booked for a foul on Hutchings.
So, in a fixture rescheduled from the weekend, Chichester move into the play-off spots.
Up next, is Burgess Hill Town at home on Saturday 9th March (Kick Off 3pm).
Chichester – Magee, Bello, Hutchings, Moore, Da Costa, Cody, Clack, Clarke, Wild, Jammeh, Bello. Subs – (O’Brien, Munt, Prichard, Rowlatt, Haitham).
Photos to follow.
