Thought it was a game where the result was more important than the performance. Second half much better than the first. Don’t like these 3G pitches. Massive support from us ,maybe 4-500 from Hastings,excellent.
Superb Matchday Programme. Must now concentrate on beating Hythe next week.
Certainly not a classic game of football on a less than ideal surface with a swirling wind.
But a proper blood and guts, top of the table encounter that, I feel, we just about deserved to win.
No doubt Chris Agutter would have wept at the number of times we just launched a high ball forward for Ben to fight for. Not really out style at all but was what was needed on the day.
This was never going to be a day for pretty football !
Tom Chalmers was my MotM (scoring one and making one, what a class act he is !) but other than that it has to go down as great battling performance by the whole team.
What unbelievable support today....it felt at least half the crowd was from Hastings.
The job is not done yet but this was an important win.
I’d say 400 plus was amazing by the players to high five the travelling support & also the stewards who complimented our fantastic support as the best they’d seen over their own
A hugely impressive display given the awkward conditions, especially the calmness displayed by Louis and the back three, who limited Ashford to so few clear chances that we were thoroughly deserving of the win, in my view. We stood up superbly to the physical challenge presented by Ashford and both goals stemmed from really good moves. Incredible away support too!
Great to get a win at Ashford! Thought we did a good job in stopping Ashford from playing. Our new signing may not have had many touches of the ball but he stopped their right back from having much influence. Marcos was as reliable as ever playing closer to Craig and Finn while Tom Chalmers was so good down the right. Jack had a strong game in midfield determined to show Tom Fagg who was boss and Sam and Ryan worked as hard as ever. Ben's battle with Liam Friend was always combative and neither gave any quarter. Andrew, playing closer to Ben, was always a threat while Louis dealt well in with any shots coming his way. A gripping match from two good sides!
A few random thoughts on what was an excellent day out and a superb result for the several hundred of us who went to Ashford.
It's been quite a while since I last went to Homelands - I think the last time was when we played Maidstone United there during their brief tenure at that ground and in our league. I found the club and its supporters most welcoming and courteous to what was a very large incursion of rival supporters. A pleasure to talk to those to whom I did.
But oh dear, the ground! To call the area of waste land in which we were invited to park a 'car park' is an abuse of language. It was a shambles littered with trip hazards and I was pleased to get back to the car in one piece before it got fully dark. Of course the crowd was much bigger than Ashford normally host, but I can't see how any sort of health and safety inspection could properly sanction its use for evening games.
And the pitch! Every time the ball bounced - often with a pronounced spin and change of direction - a cloud of black dust kicked up. I asked what that was and the answer seemed to be that it was rubber crumb which is part of the artificial surface of the pitch. Whether that is inherrent in the nature of such pitches or an unintended consequence of it degrading I don't know. What I do know is that I don't at all envy those who have to play on it - particularly goalkeepers who have to dive onto the surface and likely inhale the stuff. As we prepare to move to our new ground, with its artificial pitch, it would be good to get assurance that the obvious deficiencies of the surface at Homelands won't be replicated.
As for the game, yes indeed, as others have said, not a classic but thoroughly entertaining and full blooded. A very good team performance. I thought Ben Pope was once again our stand out player. He put so much effort in and took so much 'close attention' from the opposing number 5! And great credit to Louis too. In the dying moments Ashford put a very good chance over the bar and forced a good save from Louis. It could all, despite our effort have been a different outcome, thankfully it wasn't.
Bang on mate wasn’t keen on ground at all food was dire and had to tell the ladies FIVE times a simple burger and drink!!! As for the oppo 5 how wasn’t a foul given against him baring in mind he elbowed Ben at least twice
I didn't think our new signing Tommy Cooney had a particulaly eye catching game; but what I thought he did do was to stifle Ashford on their right flank for large parts of the game. Indeed, particularly in the first half, the game was curiously lop sided with most of the action from both sides on the far side of the pitch away from the stand.
Found this in the old "Ghost of United" Hastings Town fanzine, dating back to November 1998, regarding the carpark.
I am sure Simon Stoddart will not mind me reproducing it here.
Nothing has changed in 24 years Geoff!
Thanks Vernon! Very amusing, and as you say nothing changes!
Thinking about it, I must also have visited Homelands perhaps earlier than that time - not to support the U's, but to support my then local side Kingstonian in an FA cup round. I came with the coach, however, and mercifully it pulled up and picked up outside the ticket gate without requiring anyone to brave the assault course of the car park!
