FOOTBALL: Survivors!
United Retain Isthmian League Status
10 April: Broadbridge Heath 2, Hastings Utd 4
17 April: Hastings Utd 1, Herne Bay 1
HUGH SULLIVAN
On a sunny spring afternoon, before their biggest Saturday gate of the season – nearly 1,000 spectators – Hastings United came off the Pilot Field knowing that Isthmian League football will return there next season.
United manager David Altendorff – relief after a tough season
To make certain, they needed either a win against visitors Herne Bay or else failures on the part of their relegation rivals. By half-time the ‘U’s held a 1-0 lead, whilst news filtered in that Hassocks, Sheppey United and Erith Town were all losing. By full-time the home score had been pegged back to 1-1 by a late penalty, but none of the other threatened sides had rescued a point between them: Hastings have survived.
The groundwork for this relief was laid the previous Saturday when the team travelled to Broadbridge Heath. Having scored a total of only three goals in their previous five matches, they went two up within 20 minutes. Damien Theodore ran through after good build-up play by Lukas Franzen-Jones and Ezekiel Williams; then Jordan Mase latched onto a ball over the top of the defence and picked his spot past the home goalkeeper.
The lead was halved before halftime but renewed shortly after when Theodore scored again at the far post from a cross by Franzen-Jones. The ‘U’s conceded a second in added time to a powerful strike, but replied with their own fourth goal, scored by substitute Max Walsh, to come off 4-2 winners.
A week later, they started brightly again: Jack Saunders, Jordan Mase and George Taggart pulled the strings in midfield; captain Freddie Legg, leading by example in a fully committed performance from right back, was prominent in both attack and defence.
Herne Bay, though they had nothing to play for in terms of league position, showed their own mettle, with a quick and physically imposing forward line that on several occasions had the Hastings back line at full stretch. Williams came off worse in a full-blooded tangle of legs with central striker Rushaar Samuel-Smikle and had to limp off out of the fray. Then the same forward burst through and was taken out at the edge of the penalty area by a flying challenge from United goalkeeper Harry Haines.
A red card offence? Many referees might have adjudged it so. This one, Nicholas Bone, who was authoritative throughout, decided that there had been a covering defender and brandished a yellow instead.
United steadied themselves and went ahead with a coolly taken goal by Walsh.
The second half was played at a reduced pace, and the ‘U’s seemed mostly in control until, somewhat against the run of play, Legg tripped the visitors’ left winger in his own penalty area. A spotkick was awarded and dispatched. But the news from Hassocks and elsewhere remained satisfactory, and manager David Altendorff was clearly in no mood to risk his team’s defeat by any reckless attacking drive in the final minutes.
Both team and supporters greeted the final whistle with relief, if not unalloyed joy. They know that next season will need to be better.
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE SOUTH EAST DIVISION
(bottom Seven as at 19 April 2026)
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
| Hastings Utd | 41 | 13 | 7 | 21 | 55 | 67 | -12 | 46 |
| Erith Town | 41 | 11 | 12 | 18 | 64 | 81 | -17 | 44 |
| Sheppey Utd | 41 | 12 | 7 | 22 | 61 | 93 | -32 | 43 |
| Hassocks | 41 | 11 | 8 | 22 | 51 | 76 | -25 | 41 |
| Beckenham Town | 41 | 8 | 11 | 22 | 52 | 92 | -40 | 35 |
| VCD Athletic | 41 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 54 | 96 | -42 | 32 |
| East Grinstead Town | 41 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 29 | 158 | -129 | 6 |
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