After the 2-2 draw against Walton we will have another chance of 3 points against
South Park is now on place 9 in the table but they played only 19 games and got 31 points. They scored 37 and conceded 33.
The last 2 fixtures were both postponed against Redhill and Horsham.
Top scorers and remarkable ones are both Smith and Jackson with each 13 goals !
And our Hastings United ? So it seems we can't get the confidence and also maybe a lack of quality to get us out of the danger zone. Against bottom Walton Casuals is was the final score 2-2 and Ade Olorunda scored 6 minutes before the end the equalizer ( but was sent off after the game) These games you have to win and now we face a team and they are doing well after the promotion.
New in the team and he came on the pitch as a substitute was Arron Hopkinson He last club was Farnborough and he had a period with us some 3 years ago as a 19th year old.
No predictions for this game but hopefully a...........
No game for South Park on Saturday so they will be fresh while we have only two days to recover.
This very point was brought up at the 'meet the manager' gathering...are these Monday fixtures a good idea ?
Of course it could just as easily work for us as against us but so far this has only happened once before this season....when we lost 2 - 0 at home to a well rested Folkestone.
Mick tomorrow's game is the last scheduled midweek league game this season, obviously this may change if cup games need to be rearranged etc so hopefully it shouldn't really happen much more if it does at all.
I really hope that Kenny Pogue, Ade Olorunda and Tom Vickers all start tonight. Ade completely changed the game when he came on on Saturday. I know Dom is trying to test things out and he has my backing all the way, but I have to say, in my opinion, having both Ken and Ade on the bench for so long on Saturday cost us the three points.
Good game for a neutral, with hastings creating chance after chance, but some good finishing from South park and poor defending from hastings allowed them to take a commanding lead. Hastings clawed back and should have won comfortably in the end. My only gripe from the game is the management team constantly moaning and arguing with fans, they pay their money to get in and can rightly or wrongly view there opinions without the management team shouting things back at them.
Much better compared to Saturday, still looking weak defensively but stronger going forward.
What a ****!!! their keeper and number 5 were! No need to get involved at the end and bang out of order giving Simon a shove as well as he tried to get them away. They were their for the taking, they were rattled, timewasting at the end but we just couldn't take our chances. The subs really took the sting out of the game. Thought Kenny and Aaron were the best players on the pitch getting in behind every time.
Hastings United’s footballers came from 3-1 down to earn a 3-3 draw at home to South Park last night (Monday).
But the U’s would have gone away thinking one point really ought to have been three having carved out plenty of chances in a richly entertaining Ryman Football League Division One South encounter.
United boss Dom Di Paola made five changes to the starting line-up from Saturday’s 2-2 draw at home to Walton Casuals, largely due to the short space of time between the games, particularly with the opposition not having played at the weekend.
In an open contest full of attacking football, United fell behind in only the fifth minute. Chris Smith was allowed to run on to a Nathan Ayling throughball before rolling his finish past Josh Pelling in the home goal.
After Joe Shelley headed over from Sam Cruttwell’s free kick, United levelled in the 12th minute. A defensive header fell to Sam Adams and the home captain drove forward before burying a cracking strike into the corner of the net from 25 yards.
Another Cruttwell free kick was headed just wide by Shelley before South Park retook the lead in the 18th minute. Smith produced a splendid long range finish of his own over Pelling and into the roof of the net for his second of the night.
Ade Olorunda and Kenny Pogue had shots saved by away goalkeeper Keiran Campbell, and Olorunda also fired wide, prior to Reigate-based South Park going 3-1 up in the 32nd minute. Smith produced a great piece of skill to beat Marc Pullan near the byeline before picking out the far corner with a fine finish from the tightest of angles to complete his hat-trick.
Campbell pulled off a brilliant double save from Pogue and Arron Hopkinson, and stopped another Pogue effort a couple of minutes later, but United deservedly pulled one back in first half added time. Charlie Farmer got his boot to Cruttwell’s right wing corner and the ball deflected kindly for Pogue to turn home from close range.
The edge of the seat feel to the game continued after the break. Pelling saved from Keiran Lavery before United levelled in the 53rd minute when Cruttwell’s free kick bounced up for Farmer to head into the bottom corner.
More goals seemed a virtual certainty at that stage as both sides looked far better in attack than defence. And although eight places and eight points below their opponents in the table, United definitely came the closest to conjuring up a winner.
Hopkinson blazed a great chance over the bar, Olorunda and the again impressive Adams saw goalbound efforts blocked, Kevin Keehan was thwarted by Campbell when played in by Adams and Taser Hassan shot narrowly wide from outside the box, but it wasn’t to be.
United: Pelling, Hunt, Cruttwell, Keehan (Vickers 75), Pullan, Farmer, Shelley, Adams, A. Olorunda, Hopkinson (Hassan 81), Pogue (Woodley 81). Subs not used: T. Olorunda, Ray. Attendance: 246.
I've supported Dom's appointment from Day 1 but have to say I'm disappointed if the management team are shouting back at supporters. You don't do that, whatever the provocation. That's a worry if it's true. We still seem to be conceding goals for fun - another 3 shipped at home?
that was entertaining but the defence was awful last night. going forward tho with pogue and olorunda we looked much better and really show how poor archibald is as he wins so little, hopkinson look dangerous going forward and we really deserve 3 points from game and mick say other day that they would be rested but we look stronger and fitter at end and they were clinging on and time wasting was comical and ref was not good to deal with it. some good goals as well altho as i say sometimes the defending was not there
Always amazed as to how differently us supporters see games. At times last night our defending, passing and finishing was laughable. Yes it was entertaining but not being able to beat a very poor South Park team was just another disappointment on the night.
Defensively that was as poor as I haver seen us with all EP boys struggling again and the sooner Razor is back the better. And poor old Sam at left back, I do feel for that boy. A great talent who Hastings seem to be doing there very best to destroy. He is not a left back, he says he's not a left back, he struggles positionally and lacks a bit of pace, someone sign a bloody left back!!! And let's see if Sam can give us the creative spark, killer pass we so sorely miss in midfield.
Thought midfield and the front boys worked hard with Sam Adams our best player by a country mile. Disagree about Kenny though, thought he struggled a little. With his size he should be dominating small defenders he was up against and his final ball to Ade on at least 3 occasions was poor. Like Kenny though and would have him all day long over Boswell and Archibald.
So another average performance and another poor result. Spoke to a couple of players last night and there is no doubt they are 100% behind the management team and it's all down to confidence at the moment. But not sure the new team have had the greatest 48 hours with Pett reporting abuse to the crowd, Arrows reporting a half time scuffle on Saturday, and coaches moaning about the match reports. Have we not been here before?
Certainly another entertaining game (two in a row….what’s going on ?) but ultimately rather disappointed that we didn’t get the three points that we so clearly deserved.
To be honest, apart from three outstanding goals, I though South Park offered as little as any side I have seen this season. Maybe they had a bad night but they certainly didn’t look anything like promotion candidates and my theory that they would come into the game fitter than us certainly wasn’t the case. Brilliant goal from Sammy who was my MotM and thought Hopkinson and Ade made a significant difference….not quite so sure about KP’s contribution last night as he didn’t seem to be involved much.
Personally I wouldn’t go so far as to say the defence was awful. Apart from picking the ball out the net three times, Josh had a pretty quiet game.....that said I want to see Razor back there too, John. I’ll also say, Josh doesn’t seem quite so invincible as he was last season….I fully expected him just to palm their second over the bar without too much fuss.
It wasn't abuse john just arguing back with fans on two separate occasions, it's just not professional to do, in 1 case the man was only pointing out that pullen was limping.
Also agree with the defending the first goal was comical and hope razor is fit for Saturday.
I can't make out what is going on, at times we look very good, then a minute later look like we should be in a home for the confused, but there is obviously tension in the management team, with all these minor incidents.
I’ll also say, Josh doesn’t seem quite so invincible as he was last season….I fully expected him just to palm their second over the bar without too much fuss.
Good point Mick, from where I was sitting in the stand, he was way to forward, and couldn`t reach it.
I agree with John our passing at times was a joke, we are not confident on the ball, losing to many close encounters, not
kicking the ball hard enough to reach the receiver, all basic stuff.
Two seasons ago watched a tough encounter between Rye and South Park in the Vase with Rye winning 1-0. Think Sam was playing that evening. Thought he was excellent again. Last night's match was great entertainment and very open with the South Park number 10 having an impressive match- a bit like Billy Dunn did on Saturday. We certainly had a progressive midfield with Shelley, Keehan and Sam. Hope our defence can tighten up a bit otherwise results will be hard to come by but there is no reason why we shouldn't be above South Park in the table. Thought the ref did well not to send Jordan off at the end- he could easily have done so. Who is the better (or worse) crosser out of Taser and Aaron? Now there's a challenge for Dom's impressively large back up staff-improve the quality of our crosses. Aaron has impressive pace-good to see in a Hastings side.
interested in your comments about South Park playing Rye Tim, until that game I had never heard of them. Spoke to their chairman who said most have played for them some time,all mates, all play for the team, and none are paid a single penny.
interested in your comments about South Park playing Rye Tim, until that game I had never heard of them. Spoke to their chairman who said most have played for them some time,all mates, all play for the team, and none are paid a single penny.
I imagined they were a team who had been together for a few years, they've stuck with the same team coming through the divisions.
As for the pay, that's different from what their keeper shouted to us, when someone told him how s*** he was he turned around and said at least I get paid for it!!
