FOOTBALL: Chalmers and Black Return to the Pilot Field
IAN GRANT
With preparations for the new season underway, Hastings United will be hoping to banish memories of the previous two, one of which ended in relegation and the other an uncomfortably narrow escape. Some stability would be a welcome start: five managers have come and gone in that period, with the sixth, former Folkestone stalwart Ronnie Dolan, taking the reins this summer for his first managerial role. More than 60 players were also used during the last campaign, a statistic reflected in disjointed performances on the pitch and a sense of disconnection from supporters off it.
Tom Chalmers scores for Hastings January 2024
This time around, the target is to be competing for a playoff place when next April comes around. With only one automatic promotion spot up for grabs, often claimed by a club with much deeper pockets than everyone else, that seems a realistic ambition. Most fans would probably settle for a season spent looking hopefully upwards rather than nervously downwards, especially if it involved more vibrant entertainment than the frequently grim offerings of recent times. While complete redevelopment of the ground remains the aim, additional work has been done over the summer on the Pilot Field pitch with the aim of providing a less agricultural playing surface in the meantime. It’s not easy to put on a show when the ball is leaping around like an over-caffeinated Jack Russell.
One announcement will have particularly delighted fans: the return of Tom Chalmers as club captain. Before his career was severely disrupted by a succession of long-term injuries, Chalmers was the brightest prospect to come out of the youth development programme for several years, making his first-team debut at just 16 and seeming certain to leave United behind to play at a higher level when the time was right. His last competitive appearance was way back in April 2024, and that only a brief respite from an injury which halted his progress at the start of 2023; so the road back to fitness has been an extremely long and arduous one. A very likeable character, Chalmers is held in great affection by many. Fingers will be firmly crossed.
Another graduate of the youth system making a return is Ollie Black. A willowy full-back as a youngster, Black has matured into a competitive, robust central defender, and his famed long throw will add a direct element to the side’s attacking threat. He’s joined by other familiar faces in Freddie Legg, whose conversion to industrious full-back from winger was one of last season’s few success stories, and mercurial forward Fin Chapman.
A less celebrated place in the club’s history awaits recent signing, Sonny Walsh. The young striker was brought in from Eastbourne Town in June, declaring himself “really excited to be here”. His departure was announced within the month, before he’d made an appearance, and he re-signed for Eastbourne Town a couple of days later. A social media post wishing him “all the best playing for a club closer to home” may, perhaps, have had a slightly sardonic edge to it. That leaves striking options looking a little thin, with every other club also looking for a 20-plus goalscorer who can double as an effective target man; pre-season friendlies to date have seen former Fisher forward Kesna Clarke in the role.
Of the new signings who’ve stuck around, the standout looks to be Archie Cassidy, an imposing defender brought in from Bromley in the face of competition from other clubs. He’s joined by experienced, combative midfielder Sam King, whose partnership with Dolan, in a playing capacity, will surely be key if this side is to compete in the higher reaches of the division. Tellingly, the first pre-season friendly, in which two different experimental line-ups were fielded in withering heat against Haywards Heath, brought criticism of work-rate from the management team. Clearly, this is expected to be a team that puts in the hard yards.
For all that recent seasons have been calamitous, the intention appears to be to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Thus, keeper Harry Haines, defender Sam Pidgeon and forward-thinking midfielder Max Walsh have all been retained from last term. A change of personnel is perhaps less vital than a complete change of culture.
All of this will be put to the test when the season kicks off in anger. After an FA Cup tie away at Kingstonian on Friday 7 August, the league campaign begins at home against Croydon Athletic on Saturday 15 August. Given that Croydon finished as runners-up last time around, with backing from co-owners Stormzy and Wilfred Zaha, that’ll be a tough opening assignment. Supporters will be hoping that this team can rise to the challenge.
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