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Listless United slump to home friendly defeat - 7/8/07

United turned in the worst performance of their pre-season campaign thus far this evening, sliding to a surprise home defeat against Ryman Division One South side Burgess Hill Town. A dire first half gave way to a slightly more entertaining second period, but United seldom threatened the visitors' goal, and Charlie Monaghan ultimately grabbed the Hillians' winning goal, within seconds of coming on as a substitute.

With Ade Olorunda, Sam Adams and Kevin Rose all available after missing Saturday's draw at Horsham YMCA, and skipper Sean Ray back in the starting line-up for the first time this season, manager Nigel Kane was able to name arguably his strongest side of the campaign to date. Rhys Whyborne also returned to action as a second half substitute, with Russell Eldridge, Dan Williams and Tim Olorunda the only absentees of note. For the second match running, United lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, although Scott Kirkwood and Nima Cham struggled to impose themselves in the centre of midfield, where Burgess Hill had an extra man advantage in their 4-5-1 system. The visitors, fresh from a 4-2 win over Ashford Town (Middx) at the weekend, in which lone striker Shaheen Sadough netted a first half hattrick, named two former United players, Nick Fogden and Matt Piper, in their full back positions.

The opening forty-five minutes was surely as tedious a half of football as the Pilot Field will witness all season long. The visitors looked marginally the better side, strong at the back, lively in midfield, and Sadough caused Sean and Nathan Russell more than a few problems up front. Neil Watts went close with an angled shot, and Mark Pulling's deflected shot was safely gathered by Lee Worgan, but there was precious little to excite supporters of either side until the closing stages of the half, when first Sam created United's first chance of the game, dragging a shot wide after a powerful run, before the visitors wasted a glorious opportunity to take the lead in stoppage time, Pulling setting up Sadough to drill in a low cross that Lee could only palm into Kenny Hewitt's path, but from barely six yards out, the winger managed to hit the retreating Danny Spice and United escaped.

John Bradley replaced Kevin at half time, allowing Sam to join Ade in attack, but it was Burgess Hill substitutes Ryan Bradley and Shaun Grice who both went close to opening the scoring as the second half got off to a livelier start than the first. Just before the hour mark, United should have gone in front, when keeper Aaron Stenning failed to gather Scott's looping effort, but reacted brilliantly to block Ade's follow-up shot from point blank range, while Piper was on hand to deny Lee Jules from the rebound. Seven minutes later, Burgess Hill made a double substitution that had an instant impact on the course of the game, one replacement, Jon Richardson, bursting down the left and crossing to Grice, who in turn set up the other newcomer, Monaghan, for a first time shot from just inside the area that gave Lee no chance. Sean then narrowly avoided heading into his own net in trying to cut out a Bradley cross, and Ade was just unable to steer Sam's cross into the net from United's only chance of note in the closing stages. Frustration eventually began to tell, with John and Ade both making their way into the referee's notebook, Nathan having already done so earlier, while Monaghan's continuing influence on the game was highlighted by a curling effort that drifted just wide of the target, and a driving run down the left, which resulted in a dangerous cross that somehow evaded Grice and Pulling in the middle, the visitors very much ending the game in the ascendancy.

The final outcome was a repeat of the last time the two sides clashed at the Pilot Field on 4 November 2006, the last dismal performance before United began to turn an ultimately successful season around. It is naturally too much to expect history to repeat itself this season, but if this evening should serve as a very early wake-up call for United, so much the better. The final pre-season encounter sees another Division One South side in Croydon Athletic visit the Pilot Field on Saturday afternoon, by which time United will be one week away from taking their Ryman Premier Division bow at Billericay.

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Hastings United XI (4-4-2)							Burgess Hill Town XI (4-5-1)
1 Lee Worgan							1 Aaron Stenning
2 Danny Spice							2 Nick Fogden
3 Jimmy Elford							3 Matt Piper
4 Nathan Russell							4 Tom Edmonds
5 Sean Ray (c)							5 Danny Gainsford
6 Nima Cham							6 Neil Watts
7 Sam Adams							7 Adam Pullin
8 Scott Kirkwood							8 Mark Pulling
9 Ade Olorunda							9 Shaheen Sadough
10 Kevin Rose							10 Jamie Howell (c)
11 Lee Carey							11 Kenny Hewitt
Substitutes
12 John Bradley (for Rose 45)							12 Shaun Grice (for Sadough 45)
14 Danny Ellis (for Kirkwood 66)							14 Ryan Bradley (for Pullin 45)
15 Dominic Cruttenden (for Carey 78)							15 Jon Richardson (for Hewitt 66)
16 Matt Darby (for Olorunda 87)							16 Charlie Monaghan (for Pulling 66)
17 Rhys Whyborne (for Russell 70)							17 Dan Turner
18 Josh Jirbandey (for Elford 90)
10 Lee Jules (for Cham 58)
3 Brett Griffin (for Spice 90)

Attendance 228

Referee Frank Meilack

Assistants Dominic Lyons & David Stappleton

Fourth Official James Slaney