Latest match report

First Team reports | Reserve Team reports | Youth Team reports

New boss witnesses tedious stalemate - 12/1/08

Newly appointed manager Tony Dolby and assistant Mike Rutherford watched from the stands as United played out a frustrating scoreless draw against AFC Hornchurch on a boggy Pilot Field playing surface this afternoon. Defences were generally on top and chances were few and far between, especially from United's point of view, although the visitors created more of them, with strikers Simon Parker and Kris Lee both guilty of missing a couple of excellent opportunities over the course of the ninety minutes. United's best chance to sneak a vital win came just a couple of minutes from time, with Antonio Gonnella denied by a goalline clearance, but defeat would really have been harsh on either side, with a draw probably the fairest of results on the day.

Caretaker manager John Lambert was forced to make changes for his final match in charge, with Ade Olorunda missing out with the hamstring injury he suffered at Chelmsford last weekend, Matt Maclean suspended after his sending off against Tonbridge last month, and Scott Kirkwood having quit the Club to join Worthing in midweek. Sam Adams and Tim Olorunda both returned to the starting line-up after serving one match suspensions of their own, while Danny Ellis was back from his self-imposed exile to take his place amongst the substitutes. Late in the day, United were forced into one additional change, with Jimmy Elford missing out after becoming a father on the morning of the game, Russell Eldridge called in to deputise on the left hand side of a flexible, midfield-heavy formation, and Rhys Whyborne captaining the side for the first time. The visitors showed six changes to the side that started the reverse fixture in late September, when United conceded twice in stoppage time to lose 3-2 in Essex. Recent signings included Dean Green from Hendon, and former St Leonards midfielder Des Boateng, while left back Danny Glozier, son of former United skipper Bob, and the vastly experienced Mark Janney, the last gasp matchwinner at Bridge Avenue, were amongst those to have retained their places in the Urchins line-up.

The game started quietly enough, with Sam dragging a shot wide for United and Glozier seeing a long range effort deflected over the bar at the other end, while Antonio then went close with an angled drive, but again failed to test keeper Dale Brightly. The first clear opportunity went the visitors' way in the twelfth minute, Russell's failure to deal with a Glozier cross setting up Green for a shot that he blazed over from a pretty narrow angle. The unmarked Parker then missed the first of two superb headed chances in the opening forty-five minutes, glancing over the bar from another dangerous Glozier cross, and as the first half reached its mid-point, a tangible lack of quality was in evidence on both sides. Sam was perhaps fortunate to escape with only a warning from the referee after jumping into a two footed tackle on Glozier, who wisely stepped away from the challenge and probably saved Sam from receiving a red card as a result. United then went on to enjoy a lengthy spell of possession for the remainder of the half, passing the ball neatly out of defence and through the midfield, with Tim and Antonio providing good support for the all too frequently isolated Sam. A complete miskick denied Lee Carey his first goal for two months, after Tim had flicked on a Danny Spice long throw, and Sam's pace then saw him beat Brightly to a long through ball down the right hand side, Tim winning a far post header from Sam's ensuing cross, only for Jack Franklin's close range shot to be blocked in the six yard box by right back Donny Barnard. Urchins skipper John Purdie received nothing more than a stern lecture after appearing to aim a kick at the prostrate Antonio, an offence certainly no worse than Sam's earlier indiscretion though, with the visitors going on to waste two further chances to edge in front just before the interval, Danny's poor clearance falling to defender Jim McFarlane for a shot that was blocked by Nathan Russell at the expense of a corner, from which Boateng centred for Parker to send another free header harmlessly over Lee Worgan's crossbar.

Whilst the visitors had certainly forced the better chances, United had just about been the better side overall in the opening period, although Hornchurch rapidly sought to reverse that subjective statistic after the restart. Lee Worgan made the first save of the afternoon, safely gathering Boateng's thirty-five yard shot, but Lee was looking strangely uneasy from crosses, missing a Boateng free kick and grateful that McFarlane's header drifted over the bar. Parker then turned neatly past Ashley Paine and slotted a pass to his left giving Boateng a clear run into the area, only for a promising situation to be ruined by a dismally sliced cross. United introduced Frankie Sawyer for Russell ten minutes into the second half, an attacking move that sadly backfired slightly when Sam was forced out of action through injury a few minutes later. Danny Ellis completed his sudden comeback by coming on to play in an advanced role, but Tim found himself in an unfamiliar left sided position, and United's gameplan began to suffer from an understandable lack of cohesion. The previously unflustered defensive trio of Rhys, Nathan and Ashley started to creak somewhat under the weight of pressure that Hornchurch began to exert, and Lee made the one save of note in the game to block Kris Lee's well struck effort from a tight angle. Substitute Shane Oakley then broke into the left hand side of the area but fired his shot high and wide, and Parker's looping header from a Barnard cross was gathered at the second attempt by Lee. Antonio and Lee Carey both missed the target with long range efforts as United finally spent some time in opposition territory, but the Urchins came straight back, with Lee cutting into the area and curling a left foot shot narrowly over, and then setting up Parker for a shot that he screwed across the face of goal and wide of the upright. United steeled themselves for one final effort at snatching all three points, creating their best chance of the game, and registering their first shot on target, in the eighty-ninth minute, when Jack Franklin slipped a perfect pass through for Antonio to step around Brightly and roll the ball goalwards from a narrow angle, only for McFarlane to slide in and recover lost ground to block the shot at the expense of a corner that came to nothing. Having kept his cards in his pocket for much of the contest, the referee cautioned Nathan and Ashley for fouls in the latter stages, and in stoppage time, added Hornchurch midfielder Elliot Styles to that short list, a desperately harsh decision that riled Urchins manager Colin McBride to such an extent that he was sent from the dugout for protesting a shade too vehemently. Had his forwards shown such passion in front of goal during the previous hour and a half, he may not have felt so fractious.

Forty yard lob volley screamers aside, scoring goals seems to have become a significant problem for United during the last couple of months, as a tally of four in their last eleven league games will testify. Just as worrying will be the fact that United have now won only once in fifteen matches in all competitions, and remain second from bottom of the league table, but successive draws against strong opponents, challenging for the title and a play-off spot respectively, despite fielding below strength line-ups on each occasion, suggests that there is still hope yet for United salvaging their season, especially under new management. The season starts on Monday for Tony Dolby, Mike Rutherford, and United's relegation battle.

Match facts	Efforts on target	Efforts off target	Free kicks conceded	Corners won	Offsides against
Hastings United	1	6	8	2	3
AFC Hornchurch	3	10	13	4	4

Hastings United (3-4-2-1)							AFC Hornchurch (4-4-2)
1 Lee Worgan							1 Dale Brightly
2 Danny Spice							2 Donny Barnard
3 Russell Eldridge							3 Danny Glozier
4 Nathan Russell							4 John Purdie (c)
5 Rhys Whyborne (c)							5 Jim McFarlane
6 Ashley Paine							6 Elliot Styles
7 Antonio Gonnella							7 Dean Green
8 Tim Olorunda							8 Des Boateng
9 Sam Adams							9 Kris Lee
10 Lee Carey							10 Simon Parker
11 Jack Franklin							11 Mark Janney
Substitutes
12 Frankie Sawyer (for Eldridge 55)							12 Amos Foyewa (for Parker 90)
14 Kevin Rose (for Paine 90)							14 Frankie Curley
15 Danny Ellis (for Adams 63)							15 Richard Halle
GK Jani Seitsonen							16 Shane Oakley (for Janney 70)
							17 Richard Goddard

Attendance 463

Referee Martin Yerby (Ashford)

Assistants Andrew Colwell (Eastbourne) & John Pike (Hurstpierpoint)