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Revenge mission ends in tame home defeat - 22/12/07

Two teams struggling in the congested lower half of the Premier Division table served up a suitably drab contest at the Pilot Field this afternoon, with Billericay set to enjoy the happier Christmas, after Bradley Woods-Garness' second half strike sealed a league double over a United side that sadly looked as toothless as at any stage this season. The chance to avenge a six goal thrashing at New Lodge on opening day could scarcely have provided a better incentive for United to build on recent improved performances against Heybridge and Maidstone, but instead, they appeared to take a big step backwards, sorely lacking in creativity and firepower, and failing to seriously test either of the visitors' two young keepers, each of whom featured for forty-five minutes. And while Billericay looked a shadow of the side that blitzed United back in August, they were still better in every department, and would certainly not have been flattered had Woods-Garness avoided making a complete hash of a gilt-edged stoppage time chance.

Robbed of Dan Williams' services for up to four weeks due to an ankle injury, United manager Nigel Kane elected to start with Kevin Rose alongside Rhys Whyborne in the heart of the back four, while Jimmy Elford returned from illness at left back, with Russell Eldridge pushing up onto the left wing, and Lee Carey replacing Scott Kirkwood in the centre of midfield. Sam Adams again occupied the right wing berth, as Frankie Sawyer partnered Ade Olorunda in attack, and Danny Spice returned to the sixteen man squad for the first time in four weeks. Billericay had the look of potential champions at the start of the season, but a run of only two wins in twelve matches had seen them slide down the table, amidst the distraction of a run to the first round of the FA Cup, and undergo a change in management. Woods-Garness was the most prominent of the six players to have started on opening day as well as today, with double goalscorers in August, Tony Boot and Joe Flack, both missing out, along with first choice keeper Billy McMahon and influential midfielder Lee Hodges.

United made a solid enough start to the game and arguably looked the more likely scorers in the opening quarter of the contest, with Frankie's pace causing a few problems for the visitors' defence. Lee Carey sliced a shot well over the bar, before Russell forced Jack Buckfield into action with a low shot from the edge of the area, with Lee then missing the target from further out. United were noticeably being kept at arms length by Billericay though, and as the half wore on, the visitors began to ask questions of the United defence, with lone striker Rikki Burbridge wasting a free header from a Jordan Collins corner, and then missing his kick from close range after a fine run and cross from Woods-Garness, playing as an attacking right winger. At the other end, Buckfield was having considerably more difficulty preventing his goal kicks from flying out of play, than he was preserving a clean sheet, picking out someone in the Billericay dugout on three occasions in quick succession, rather than a colleague on the pitch. Collins sent a twenty-five yard free kick just over, and Paul Shave directed a lob volley just the wrong side of the upright, but the interval arrived without a goal, or even a shot on target worthy of the name at either end.

The appearance of substitute keeper Ronnie Worster ahead of the restart denied United supporters any further opportunity of cheering Buckfield's errant long balls, and the new arrival would have been brought into early action had it not been for Steve Heffer throwing himself in the way of Sam's left foot shot. Burbridge finally registered Billericay's first shot on goal in the forty-ninth minute, a tame attempt straight at Lee Worgan, while Ade's pace and trickery almost created a chance out of nothing, but Worster bravely gathered by his near post. Twelve minutes into the second period, the visitors scored what proved to be the only goal of the game, with United contributing to their own downfall, as so often has been the case of late. Leon Hunter's sweeping crossfield pass should have been cut out by Jimmy, but his miskick allowed Shave to pick up possession on the right hand side and stand up a delightful chip to the far post, where Burbridge beat two defenders to the header and set up the unmarked Woods-Garness for a simple volleyed finish from barely six yards out. Substitutes Neil Marron and Antonio Gonnella traded poorly directed shots that sailed over the crossbar at either end, before Billericay skipper Jamie Dormer chased a long ball into the left hand side of the United area and dragged a shot across the face of goal and wide. Dormer then headed straight at Lee from a Woods-Garness cross, and Burbridge scooped a shot over the bar from a Hunter corner, as United became increasingly stretched at the back. They did raise their game for a decent effort in the final ten minutes, with Russell firing in a low shot from a short corner that Worster did well to gather as it sailed through a sea of legs, while Ade and Tim both went close with longer range efforts. But try as they might, United simply never looked like equalising, and the visitors really ought to have doubled their advantage and made the points absolutely safe a minute into stoppage time, when Woods-Garness robbed Jimmy of possession on the halfway line and sprinted clean through on goal, with just the rapidly retreating keeper to beat, only to be rather embarrassingly tackled by Lee just inside the area and injuring himself in the process.

And so, United reached the mid-point of their league campaign sitting one place and one point above the relegation places, and with much work apparently required if they are to safeguard their Premier Division future. Early season promise has long since given way to a mid-season slump, that is currently threatening to evolve into end of season despair, with the Boxing Day trip to Folkestone and next weekend's visit from Tonbridge both taking on the appearance of must-win encounters, if United are to head into the New Year with anything other than a sense of trepidation. Happy Christmas anyway!

Match facts	Efforts on target	Efforts off target	Free kicks conceded	Corners won	Offsides against
Hastings United	4	6	18	5	4
Billericay Town	3	8	10	3	2

Hastings United (4-4-2)							Billericay Town (4-5-1)
1 Lee Worgan							1 Jack Buckfield
2 Ryan Andrews							2 Dave McSweeney
3 Jimmy Elford (c)							3 Danny Kerrigan
4 Rhys Whyborne							4 Michael Alaile
5 Kevin Rose							5 Steve Heffer
6 Lee Carey							6 Jamie Dormer (c)
7 Sam Adams							7 Bradley Woods-Garness
8 Tim Olorunda							8 Leon Hunter
9 Ade Olorunda							9 Rikki Burbridge
10 Frankie Sawyer							10 Paul Shave
11 Russell Eldridge							11 Jordan Collins
Substitutes
12 Nathan Russell (for Eldridge 87)							12 Neil Marron (for Collins 58)
14 Scott Kirkwood (for Carey 76)							14 George Lay
15 Antonio Gonnella (for Sawyer 58)							15 Michael Black
16 Danny Spice							16 Wayne Semanshia (for Woods-Garness 90)
GK Jani Seitsonen							GK Ronnie Worster (for Buckfield 45)

Attendance 458

Referee Ian Regan (Ashford)

Assistants Leigh Crowhurst (Uckfield) & Adam Bowen (Leeds)