Hastings United rose to seventh position in the Isthmian Premier League last Saturday after four straight wins – two at home, two away. Only one goal was conceded altogether in those matches: a 2-1 victory over Folkestone Invicta on 7 February was followed by 2-0 success away to Corinthian Casuals, 3-0 over Kingstonian, then 1-0 back home against Cray.

Saturday’s crowd of 863 spectators at Pilot Field saw a triumph of defensive discipline and resilience. The first half was a fairly even affair, both sides taking time to adapt to a bobbly pitch and swirling wind. Ben Pope put the ‘U’s ahead from close in after Ryan Worrall’s rifled drive from outside the penalty area ricocheted to him. 

In the second half, however, possession was largely ceded to the visitors, as United’s central midfield pair, Worrall and Jack Dixon, played ever deeper. Cray fed the ball out to their flanks, won a host of corners and lofted a regular stream of crosses into the Hastings penalty area. There, despite contest from some tall attackers, Craig Stone, Alex Brefo and Jake Elliott proved indomitable, heading or booting the ball clear time after time. There was simply no way through them, and goalkeeper Louis Rogers enjoyed a relatively untroubled afternoon between the posts.

It’s been the pattern of the season so far. A glance at the league table confirms that all six teams ahead of Hastings have scored markedly more goals, but only leaders Bishops Stortford have conceded less. On Saturday’s showing this defensive record may keep propelling the ‘U’s up to the fringes of the play-off places (second to fifth will qualify). Will it be enough to maintain their challenge through the remaining 12 games? It could be. 

The telling statistics are that the ‘U’s have won 15 and lost only three matches against teams outside the top four in the league table – but lost all six matches (three at home, three away) against those four, with only two goals scored and 12 conceded. Thus, at the highest level, they have been found consistently wanting. 

However, the good news is that only two of the last 12 fixtures pit them against these apparently superior teams. If they can keep defeating the lesser sides, they could well sneak through into a play-off position – and then who knows?

They learnt last week that they will have to do it without their most skilful attacker on the ball, Tom Chalmers, who has suffered an ACL tear that will keep him out of the side for many months. Sam Hasler is also currently out of contention with a shoulder injury. 

In Saturday’s game Kane Penn supplied some attacking verve from full-back. Ben Pope was his usual combative self, and Sam Adams inspired more incisive passing when he was brought on as substitute in the second half. But the role of a strike partner for Pope remains unresolved. David Smith, a loanee from Bromley, and young academy graduate Freddie Legg had both scored against Kingstonian in midweek, but neither made any great impact against Cray.

Manager Gary Elphick has plugged the gap in his ranks with a succession of short-term loans. But there’s a problem in that. If the loanee is a success – step forward, Joe Gbode of Gillingham, who led the line with aplomb earlier in the season – he’s likely to be recalled by his parent club. 

There’s a further question of whether United have a big enough squad as further fixtures come thick and fast. On Tuesday this week (21 February) they were due to play again at Pilot Field against Essex strugglers Bowers & Pitsea, then tomorrow (Saturday) they travel to Carshalton, who retain play-off ambitions of their own. Don’t expect too many goals at either end in that one.  

Sam Adams (in white)
PICTURE: Scott White

Most supporters will be saddened by the news that Sam Cruttwell will no longer be strutting his stuff in a Hastings shirt. Whether positioned as midfielder, left back or centre-back Cruttwell was the class performer of the team – strong in the air, able to drift past opponents with the ball at his feet, play the precise killer pass or on occasion burst the back of the net. His 30-yard cracker against Cray Wanderers at Pilot Field in March, described by Agutter as “the best goal I’ve seen in three or four years”, was no fluke. 

But clearly there have been issues. Agutter had made remarks during the season referring to problems in training. It also seems that Cruttwell wanted to have greater involvement in the sport of futsal (indoor football), in which local club Sussex Futsal compete in the National Super League. Nevertheless Agutter says on the United website that he was offered a new contract.  “I can advise that Sam Cruttwell was offered a new deal at the Club which would also of allowed him to officially pursue his Futsal interest but he chose not to take up the Club’s offer.”

Others departed include former first choice goalkeeper Charlie Horlock, defenders Jahmal Howlett-Mundle and Sinn’Kaye Christie, and forwards Hassan Ibrahiym and Jordy Mongoy, all of whom have found, or can expect to find, welcomes at a similar level elsewhere.  However, former academy players Tom Climpson and Jamie Fielding have negotiated upward career moves. Climpson will be heading for the USA on a college scholarship. Fielding, who was a fledgling in the pecking order only 12 months ago but enjoyed a storming second half of the season at right back, has been signed up by League Division Two side Stevenage Town. He was not under contract with United, so the Hastings club will not apparently receive any transfer payment, and must make do with the boost which the deal should give to the reputation of the academy.

Of those players reported as staying, there remains speculation that, for some, this status may not last until August when the new season starts. Midfielder Adam Lovatt had trials with several league clubs last year without attracting a firm bid, but will surely remain in the shop window. Strikers Daniel Ajakaiye (34 goals last season) and Davide Rodari (sidelined with a cruciate injury until the last few games, but back in apparent full health now) are others with good prospects of upward mobility. The club will not stand in their way, and would in each case receive a fee for contract release.

Among players coming in are Jake Elliott, a tall right-back recruited from Peacehaven & Telscombe, and Dan Hull, a 6 foot 4 inch centre-back promoted from the academy. With Gary Elphick also re-signing, there shouldn’t be many days on which United defenders will find themselves at height inferiority to their opponents.

Two other players who have re-signed with the ‘U’s, and around whom the team will surely continue to revolve, are midfielders Sam Adams and Jack Dixon. Adams will again be captain, at age 33; Dixon, 28, who swept the board in “player of the season” honours last month, seems equally committed to the cause. “At this stage of my career it was an easy decision for me to make”, the club website quotes him as saying. “I’m a local lad and I very much feel a big part of the project here, the club is definitely moving forward. I think that I have more to give on and off the pitch to help the young talented group of players that we have.”

Hastings United notched a fourth successive Bostik League victory at Pilot Field last Saturday, overcoming tidy but limited opposition from visitors Ramsgate to win 3-0. This followed a 3-1 away win the previous Saturday at Three Bridges, where the ‘U’s conceded an early goal but took advantage of the red card dismissal of a home defender to ease into a lead by halftime that was rarely threatened thereafter. 

Now second in the league table with four games to go, they won’t catch leaders Cray Wanderers. But the play-offs beckon. Retention of second place would ensure home ties in both the semifinal and final, and probably a sufficient points ratio to secure promotion if both were won.

In recent weeks manager Chris Agutter has had his team selections hampered by injuries and suspensions, forced to do without key players or field them when less than fully fit. But these problems have gradually eased. And indeed, having signed former Brighton central defender Gary Elphick and negotiated the return of two Gillingham loanees, Brad Stevenson and Jack Tucker, for the remainder of the season, while welcoming the recovery of Italian striker Davide Rodari from long term injury, Agutter now has almost a surfeit of options in most positions to cover the run-in. Youssef Bamba, a midfielder introduced with much fanfare earlier in the season, has been released back to his former club Walton Casuals, while young defender Tom Climpson has been loaned to Eastbourne Town “in pursuit of more game time and experience” . Even so, the substitutes’ bench last Saturday consisted of Sam Cruttwell, Davide Rodari, Jamal Howlett-Mundle, Jordy Mongoy and Charlie Horlock, all of whom could consider themselves unfortunate to be sidelined, and who will compete for places in the next starting line-up. It is ironic, then, that the ‘U’s have no fixture this coming weekend. They will not play again until they entertain Hythe Town at Pilot Field on 13th April.

After that they travel to Sittingbourne on the 20th, then come back home on Easter Monday (the 22nd) to host Ashford United, who lie fourth in the table, one point behind with a game in hand. Peaking for the play-offs? Hastings will need to raise their game a little sooner.

Hastings United lost 2-1 to Cray Wanderers in their top-of-the-table clash at Bromley on Sunday. Cray thus march on with 34 points from 12 matches in the Bostik League South-East, representing 11 wins and just one draw. Hastings remained in second place on 24 points from 10 (eight wins, two defeats), prior to a further league match two days later at home to Herne Bay.

The ‘U’s dominated the first half of the Sunday game in both possession and goal-scoring opportunities. Recent signings Hassan Ibrahim and Lanre Azeez, sparked several attacks, and captain Sam Adams and Jack Dixon were influential in midfield. But both Azeez and Dixon missed clear chances when through on goal, and though Adams and top scorer Daniel Ajakaiye also came close to putting their side ahead, it was Cray that capitalised on a poor defensive clearance, to score right on the brink of half-time.

The second half was a different story. After hitting the cross bar, Cray scored a well-worked second goal and, though United chalked that out almost immediately with an own goal at a corner, Cray held them at bay thereafter.

Manager Chris Agutter said afterwards that it was “a great game to be involved in” and that he was “tremendously proud of the lads”. But he is bound to be disappointed, along with a good number of travelling supporters, that they could not have squeezed a share of the points.

There will only be one team automatically promoted from this division at the season’s end. Cray remain very much in prime position.

Hastings United had won six out of seven Bostik League games this season and lay fourth in the table with several games in hand on teams above them prior to last Tuesday’s home match against Greenwich Borough. However, league leaders Cray Wanderers have come out of the blocks even faster, with only two points dropped from their opening ten matches  –  nine wins and a draw  –  putting them ten points clear. United are due to travel to Cray’s ground at Bromley on Sunday 11th November for what both sides will feel (whatever respective managers may say publicly) amounts to an early season showdown.

The match has been shifted from the Saturday because Bromley have a home FA Cup tie against Peterborough on that day, and the Sunday re-scheduling seems in itself to give the match a heightened profile. United will be hoping for a large contingent of travelling support to make the journey up the A21. It will be a 3 o’clock kick-off, time enough to get there after the Remembrance centenary at 11 am that morning.

What supporters won’t want to remember for too long is United’s last Sunday outing two weekends ago to Guernsey. The match was beamed by live closed-circuit Guernsey TV back to the United Sports and Social Club off Elphinstone Road where around 100 supporters gathered to watch. Screen black-outs due to technical failures were matched by poor football fare on a bumpy pitch. Although the ‘U’s won 1-0, they gave a stuttering performance, unable to keep possession of the ball and fortunate that the home team spurned a number of chances to equalise after Sam Adams had notched a first half goal. Midfielder Sam Cruttwell, openly criticised by manager Chris Agutter for “giving up” in the FA Trophy defeat by Whyteleafe at Pilot Field the previous Saturday, was kept on the bench.

Agutter has signed two new forwards in recent weeks – Youssuf Bamba, a flying left-winger who scored over 20 goals in half a season to get Walton Casuals  promoted last season, and another speedy attacker from Ashford United, Lanre Azeez. The manager has admitted that he may
have to release one or two first team squad players to make room.