Yeah..highly likely I think now, Phil.
Shame as were planning on travelling to this one.
I believe this particular fixture was postponed about three times last season.
Not sure if this was a point gained or two lost.Considering East Grinstead's awful home record it would be points lost but from twitter feed it would appear to be a point gained.Once again we have bagged 4 goals without winning.We go 3 games without conceding then 2 games letting in 6.Teams immediately around us didn't fair to well today but those at the top are getting away now.
Well, if Saturday was daylight robbery, then today was the biggest footballing heist of all time. Hastings were an absolute shambles throughout the 90mins but somehow came away with a point. And for once, if it was not for Pidge, who again was very suspect for at least two of the goals, we would have been hammered out of sight as he made three or four outstanding saves in the second half, one an absolute incredible save, to keep us in it. Again, the defence will get the bulk of the blame, and they were dreadful, but i'm sorry, the support they are getting from our midfield is non existent and 2nd half it was just schoolboy football with at times five up front and no one in midfield. Bodkin does work back at times but Kiernan is incredibly lazy, Frannie does not have the legs and should not have too, Johnno is doing 4 peoples work and poor old Harris is clearly not fit and has not been for a while. Throw in Pritchard who I understand was playing his 2nd game in 7 weeks and Crutts who look knackered after 30mins then you can see the problem. East Grinstead were quicker and fitter all over the pitch and how they didn't win is anyone's guess. I will let others comment on the game and action points but once again our squad is looking ridiculously thin. Bad looking injuries today to both Stannard and Butcher will stretch the squad even further and some of our players are looking like they need a break.
So make what you will of Hastings promotion credentials after this weekend. Yes we have 4 points, and to be fair the lads do show real character and never give up, but we have been completely dominated by two mid table sides. These two same sides have been hammered out of site by high flying Greenwich over the same period. The same Greenwich who last month went through a poor patch of form and stopped scoring so they go out and sign the leagues top scorer in Billy Dunn. We have problems at the other end of the pitch and what do we do? sign a very, very average Mitchell Dickinson and Jaydon Thorbourne. Poor signings and a very thin squad, hampered further by bad looking injuries today, could really be our downfall. There must be a central and left sided defender somewhere who are any good, anyone?
Classic game for a neutral to enjoy but ruinous for supporters of either side. 4 points from 2 away games where United haven't been at their best, I'll take that any time. Lenny probably got us that point today - some outstanding stuff in goal late on, while the highlights going forward were Franny's superbly taken goal from a difficult angle and the Bodders run to set up KHM for 4-4. That last 10 minutes - unreal with both defences looking terrified any time they were run at.
While it's frustrating to concede silly goals, credit East Grinstead who came back from a battering at the hands of Greenwich Borough and credit our boys for battling back again to get something from being behind.
Worrying to lose two to injury before half time. Resources are getting a tad thin.
An absolute shambles today and i dont know what can be done but if we continue to defend like we are 8th is about where we will finish. Sorry but am concerned that our manager either doesnt know what to do or the resources to change things. But something needs to be done
Our defence is just so inconsistent.We recently went to Tooting with the best home record and we keep a clean sheet,we then go to East Grinstead with one of the worst home records and we luckily concede four.If our goals dry up,which they probably will at some point,we will be on the wrong end of some big defeats.We have made good attacking signings throughout the season but our choice of defenders,or defensive midfielders,has been poor.If we have any chance of a play off place this needs to be addressed NOW,as we are falling further away.
Every time East Grinstead attacked they looked capable of scoring and have to say I think we were fortunate to come away with a point. Probably highlights that with suspensions and injuries our squad isn't quite strong enough to sustain a promotion push. Hope I am proved wrong. However, Hastings remain the most entertaining side to watch- even if a danger to the health of all their supporters with blood pressure issues.
Unfair to criticize Jack who is apparently carrying an injury. He wasnt at his best today but if he isnt fit and has to put in over an hour on a difficult surface - thats what you get. But when he has been injury free he has been outstanding.
I don't think I can remember a Hastings team ever looking quite so disorganised in defence as they did today. For the first quarter of the game there seemed huge holes through the middle, Pidge again looked only half fit and Thorburn confirmed what I thought at Horsham....he can't defend. We were fortunate it was only two in those twenty minutes ! Defensively we then briefly improved when Crutts moved forward which gave us a more solid middle....... and of course we'd had our minds taken off what was going on at the other end by scoring three goals ourselves.
However the second half was in many respects more worrying. East Grinstead flew at us and looked like scoring every attack. Thorburn and Prichard, in the two full back positions, were getting roasted and we relied on moments of desperate and frantic defending. Fortunately Pidge seemed to have a Lazarus moment, more than one in fact, and somehow pulled off a number of tremendous stops to keep us in it. And of course towards the end we had chances, and penalty shouts, to win it ourselves.
So definitely a point saved today......and I have to say one of the most bizarre games I have ever seen....we could easily have conceded ten. Clearly injuries and suspensions mean we are woefully short on quality defenders at the moment and it really showed today.
Can't disagree with any of that Mick and Simon is quite right about Harris, he actually looked like he was limping when he came on, what a state to get ourselves into. My biggest worry from today though has to be the injury to Stannard which looked pretty nasty. If he is now out for any length of time, alongside Harris and his fitness struggles, we don't only have issues defensively. What a huge loss he would be as he has been arguably even more influential than Bodkin of late.
Somebody once said that if a history of Hastings United was ever written it would have to be classed as fiction because nobody would believe it. Yesterday proved that.
