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Ten man United suffer a far from Good Friday - 21/3/08

In a curious reversal of their usual fortunes, United conceded a goal inside the opening minute, and later had Tim Olorunda sent off for handling a goalbound shot on the line, as their dreadful away form continued in a 3-1 defeat at the Short Lane Stadium this afternoon. Gavin Smith's strike after only forty-one seconds of play signalled another day to forget for United's travelling supporters, who braved freezing temperatures and intermittent driving rain on a first ever visit to Ashford in Middlesex, although Russell Eldridge's goal just before half time did give them hope of a comeback, after Paul Johnson had scored a fortuitous second for the hosts. Hope turned to despair when Tim was red carded around the hour mark though, and although Lee Worgan saved the resulting spot kick, substitute Frankie Sawyer wasted a superb chance to equalise, and Adam Logie's bullet header sealed United's fate in the final ten minutes.

After battling to victory at home to Harrow the previous Saturday, manager Tony Dolby took the understandable decision to name an identical sixteen man squad for this afternoon's encounter, also picking the same starting eleven and the usual 4-4-2 formation. With a couple of exceptions maybe, it was the same squad that had performed so heroically at Margate and Staines in the early stages of Tony's reign, but also that which had performed so abysmally at East Thurrock more recently, typifying the lack of consistency that has blighted United's season as a whole. Although much had changed in the world since these two teams met at the Pilot Field on the second Saturday of the season back in August, there was a remarkable similarity in the starting line-ups named by Ashford for the two fixtures, with only strikers Gavin Smith and Scott Todd not featuring in the first match. Like United though, Town had also endured an inconsistent season, but had hit some good form at the right time, and went into today's contest still with outside hopes of claiming a play-off place.

They certainly started as if they meant business, catching United cold as the icy rain fell, taking the lead in their very first attack, as United's defence somehow let Anthony Joseph's scarcely menacing cross from the right dribble through to the unmarked Smith, who steered a low shot past Lee Worgan's outstretched left hand. United at least showed the spirit to shrug off that early disappointment, and had the ball in the net themselves in the eighth minute, but Ade Olorunda was rightly penalised, albeit only by the assistant referee, for a foul on Ashford keeper Paul Burgess, as the pair contested Steve Elliott's hanging cross, and Danny Leach's stooping close range header counted for nothing. Despite playing into a strong wind, the home side were mastering the conditions better than United, and from the mid-point of the half, they enjoyed an excellent ten minute spell of pressure that was eventually rewarded by a second goal. Todd found space outside the United area, but sent a chip shot just over the crossbar, while Paul Johnson rattled the frame of the goal from a twenty yard free kick, awarded for a handball by Lee, who had lost his footing on the greasy surface and slipped when trying to clear a long ball. With no Ashford player in the vicinity, Lee had at least not denied a clear goalscoring opportunity, and was therefore spared a red card, but collected his first caution of the season for what was nonetheless interpreted as a deliberate handball offence. If United were grateful for that little slice of positive fortune, they were undoubtedly left cursing their luck in the thirty-second minute, when a long throw was cleared only as far as Ricky Wellard on the edge of the United area, his shot hitting the unsuspecting Johnson, who involuntarily diverted it into the back of the net. United fought hard to find a way back into the game, Russell Eldridge and Danny both trying their luck from long range but failing to test Burgess, but the keeper was beaten a couple of minutes before the interval, when Sam Adams drifted infield from the right flank, and slid a pass into the left hand side of the area for Russell to fire in a cross shot that surprised Burgess and dipped just underneath the bar. The home side almost regained their two goal lead in first half stoppage time, as Todd neatly touched on another Joseph cross for Smith to curl a low shot just wide, but it was United who appeared to have wrestled the initiative, as the two teams headed off for the break.

United made a bright enough start to the second half, Ade's pace and strength twice nearly taking him clear of the home defence, but Vinnie O'Sullivan and Adam Logie managed to cover the danger and denied him a shot on goal on each occasion. In between times, Lee Worgan received another let-off when he spilled a twenty yard effort from Johnson, and was impeded by Steve as he tried to gather in the rebound, allowing Smith to knock the loose ball into an unguarded net, only to be dubiously flagged offside. On the hour mark, Ade failed to get any purchase on a close range header from Lee Carey's free kick, giving Burgess a routine save, with the game's key moment then occurring at the other end of the pitch, Rhys Whyborne clearly being chopped down by marauding full back Darren Deegan, as he tried to usher the ball out for a goal kick, the referee controversially awarding Ashford a corner though, as a consequence of which United found themselves a man down. Wellard's corner found its way to Joseph beyond the far post, the left winger firing in a low shot that Jimmy Elford did well to block on the goalline, the ball running loose for Smith to get in a shot that struck Tim on the arm inside the six yard box, the referee in no doubt about the colour of the card this time. Todd struck the ensuing penalty kick just right of centre, but Lee guessed correctly and got a strong hand to the shot, having the presence of mind to then regain his position to gather Todd's follow-up header, a superb double save that kept United in the game. Rather than making any decisive alterations to their system, United merely went narrower in midfield, and the personnel changes, when they came, were all straight swaps, the first seeing Frankie Sawyer replacing Danny in attack with a quarter of the match remaining. Smith went desperately close to a second goal with a looping header from Deegan's cross that caught Lee off his line and drifted only just wide, but United then should have equalised, as Ade's clever reverse pass released Frankie for a clear run on goal, the substitute displaying an unfortunate lack of composure though and allowing Burgess to narrow the angle and to block his right foot effort from the edge of the area. The miss ultimately proved costly, as Logie thundered home a near post header from another Wellard corner with nine minutes remaining to clinch the points for Ashford, although Lee Carey could have made for an interesting conclusion, had he not miskicked when well placed after good work from Ade down the right. Ade himself was guilty of a bad miss in added time, running clean through onto Frankie's neat flick, only to drag a shot across goal and wide, although United would probably have been flattered by only a one goal defeat in any case.

Not for the first time since Tony arrived at the Club, United were left to wonder what might have been, had certain refereeing decisions gone their way, but with only six games remaining, and the prospect of relegation still looming large on the horizon, the time for feeling sorry for themselves has long since passed, and the time to start playing to their potential is very much nigh. Three home wins and a victory at Leyton should still be enough to secure United's Premier Division status, and although their other two away games are eminently winnable as well, Easter Monday's derby fixture against Folkestone is quite simply a massive encounter for United, much as it is for Invicta too.

Match facts	Efforts on target	Efforts off target	Free kicks conceded	Corners won	Offsides against
Ashford Town (Middx)	7	6	14	4	5
Hastings United	3	4	14	1	5

Ashford Town (Middx) (4-4-2)							Hastings United (4-4-2)
1 Paul Burgess							1 Lee Worgan
2 Vinnie O'Sullivan							2 Steve Elliott
3 Darren Deegan							3 Jimmy Elford (c)
4 Russell Canderton							4 Rhys Whyborne
5 Ricky Wellard							5 Nathan Russell
6 Adam Logie							6 Lee Carey
7 Paul Johnson							7 Sam Adams
8 Gavin Bamford (c)							8 Tim Olorunda
9 Gavin Smith							9 Ade Olorunda
10 Scott Todd							10 Danny Leach
11 Anthony Joseph							11 Russell Eldridge
Substitutes
12 Wes Goggin (for Johnson 84)							12 Danny Spice
14 Jon Palmer (for Joseph 84)							14 Frankie Sawyer (for Leach 67)
15 Byron Harrison (for Smith 84)							15 Nathan Simpson (for Eldridge 86)
16 Brett Cooper							16 Antonio Gonnella (for Adams 90)
GK Craig Ross							17 Matt Maclean

Attendance 266

Referee Mr A Degnarain

Assistants Messrs T Yovkov & I Kitchen