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Maclean off as United fall to first half double - 29/12/07

Only hapless Leyton separate United from the bottom of the Premier Division league table this evening, as their first game since Nigel Kane's departure went no better than his last two in charge, resulting in a third consecutive defeat without scoring a goal. First half strikes from John Westcott and Anthony Storey enabled Tonbridge to wrap up a league double this afternoon, although Ade Olorunda and Sam Adams each missed a couple of excellent chances to have at least kept United on level terms at the interval. After the break though, the visitors simply shut United out of the game, which rapidly degenerated into a fractious affair, Angels defender Robbie Kember fortunate to escape with only a yellow card, and Lee Carey without censure, after an unseemly altercation, while young United substitute Matt Maclean wasn't so lucky, seeing red after collecting a highly debatable second caution deep into added time.

The Reserve Team management duo of John Lambert and Wayne Farrier were asked to take caretaker charge of First Team affairs and they oversaw a side that showed two defensive changes from the Boxing Day defeat at Folkestone. Danny Spice was recalled at right back in place of Ryan Andrews, while Nathan Russell took over from Kevin Rose in the centre. Matt returned to the senior squad for the first time since early November, with Russell Eldridge missing out, and young keeper Paul Nessling was named on the bench for only the second time this season. The illustrious visitors were much changed from the line-up that had been a shade fortunate to inflict a 1-0 defeat on United at Longmead back in August. Bank Holiday matchwinner Jon Main had moved on, replaced by former Hastings and Horsham striker Carl Rook, while Westcott had also made the move from West Sussex recently, joining former Lewes winger Kirk Watts in a star-studded squad now managed by Tommy Warrilow. It had been a season of under-achievement in the league for the Angels though, too many new faces unable to gel maybe, although a recent FA Trophy victory over Oxford United had provided a better indication of the Kent side's capabilities.

The early stages did not bode well from United's point of view, as they sat too deep and simply gave Tonbridge far too much respect. As early as the third minute, Watts escaped down the left and provided an excellent cross, which Danny did well to head clear, while Scott Kinch then registered the game's first attempt on goal, but dragged a twenty yard effort wide of Lee Worgan's far post. A rare United attack saw them go close in the ninth minute, Jimmy Elford's cross from the left met by Ade's glancing header that drifted just wide with keeper Matt Reed well beaten. Despite that near miss, the visitors continued to dominate proceedings and it came as little surprise when they took the lead in the sixteenth minute, Kinch combining with Westcott down the right hand side, with the latter bursting into the area past two defenders and firing a left foot shot across Lee and into the far corner. The goal did at least have a galvanising effect on United, who roused themselves for a much improved performance in the second quarter of the match, and ought to have equalised within four minutes, as Ade's strong run down the right set up Sam for a great chance just ten yards out, but he failed to connect properly with his shot and sent the ball spinning harmlessly wide. Back at the other end, James Donovan met a Watts corner with a powerful header that Lee did well to push over the bar, but the following ten minutes saw United produce some excellent attacking football, Sam wasting another superb chance when he sent a volley into orbit from fifteen yards out and with hardly a defender in sight. The lively Antonio Gonnella then broke down the right hand side, but his cross was a fraction high and heavy for the unmarked Ade to control a free header, which he directed just over the bar. The Angels were looking worryingly brittle at the back, but they found the perfect antidote to that problem, adding a second goal out of nothing, and against the run of play, in the thirty-second minute, when Lee charged out of his area to head clear from Tonbridge skipper John Beales' aimless long clearance, the loose ball being collected by classy midfielder Anthony Storey, who returned a thirty yard lob volley into the back of United's unguarded net. More good play from Antonio almost set up Ade for an instant response, but having turned neatly past Beales in the area, his low shot was brilliantly smothered by Reed at the expense of a corner, from which Nathan hit the post with a strong header. With United having kept their intense frustration in check throughout the first half, Ade then allowed himself to get involved in a spot of impromptu wrestling with Kinch, which earned both a caution, joining Beales and Donovan, both booked for fouls on Ade. Meanwhile, the half should have ended with a third goal for Tonbridge, as Watts again broke at pace down the left and chipped an inch perfect cross to the far post, only for Westcott to make a complete hash of a free header, although it was United who went in at the break with heads bowed and confidence shattered, symptoms of a general on-field malaise, and an undeserved two goal interval deficit.

Tonbridge seemed to have been given a clear message during their half time team talk, as they emerged a different side for the resumption, more intent on denying United further goalscoring opportunities than creating any for themselves. It was an instruction that they followed with brutal efficiency, and the contest ceased to be a spectacle until the closing stages, when United were forced to become more cavalier in their own attacking play and left gaps at the back for the visitors to exploit as a result. Just before the hour mark, passions started to run unhealthily high, when Lee Carey caught Kember with an ugly late tackle, the full back retaliating by putting Lee in a headlock and throwing him to the ground. Having initially appeared to award a free kick against Lee, the referee then curiously reversed his decision, and even more bizarrely, failed to book Lee for his foul and showed Kember only a yellow card. Lee unwisely chose to extend the ill-feeling moments later by felling Kember off the ball, an incident missed by all three officials, while the Tonbridge bench eventually put a stop to the unpleasantness by replacing Kember with Ray Powell for the final twenty minutes. By then, Danny and Matt had both been booked for late tackles, as the referee sought further refuge in his notebook, in a belated effort to assume control of the game, after which a football match finally broke out again, with Storey going close from a twenty yard free kick and Fraser Logan driving in a cross from the left that only just evaded the unmarked Rook in the six yard box. Lee Worgan did well to tip away Logan's angled drive and then produced an outstanding block to keep out Storey's close range shot following more good work from the enigmatic Watts. Five minutes from time, United at last found space to carve out an opportunity of their own, Tim Olorunda cutting the ball back from the right, but Ade took too long over his shot and Sam's follow-up effort was blocked by Donovan. It was little more than momentary respite from the late Tonbridge pressure however, with Lee saving bravely at Powell's feet and getting up to block Rook's shot on the rebound. Powell became the fifth Tonbridge player booked after cynically tripping Ade as he attacked down the left in stoppage time, and there was still time for Matt to collect his second, and United's fourth, yellow card, despite winning the ball in a strong challenge in the Angels' penalty area, the ultimate nail in United's ever deepening coffin.

It is one win in thirteen now and United supporters will have seldom witnessed a finer example of classic relegation form since George Wakeling led his squad through the Southern Premier trapdoor five seasons ago. Back then, United experienced a run of one win in twenty-five games spanning five mid-season months, so the current side still have much to live down to. But whoever is installed as United's new manager in due course will inherit a set of players whose self-confidence could scarcely get any lower, although next weekend's nothing to lose trip to league leaders Chelmsford, without the suspended Tim and Sam, may just test that theory to the limit. We can but hope for a happy New Year!

Match facts	Efforts on target	Efforts off target	Free kicks conceded	Corners won	Offsides against
Hastings United	3	6	21	4	2
Tonbridge Angels	7	6	11	7	3

Hastings United (4-4-2)							Tonbridge Angels (4-4-2)
1 Lee Worgan							1 Matt Reed
2 Danny Spice							2 Robbie Kember
3 Jimmy Elford (c)							3 Matt Lovell
4 Rhys Whyborne							4 Scott Kinch
5 Nathan Russell							5 John Beales (c)
6 Scott Kirkwood							6 James Donovan
7 Sam Adams							7 John Westcott
8 Tim Olorunda							8 Anthony Storey
9 Ade Olorunda							9 Fraser Logan
10 Antonio Gonnella							10 Carl Rook
11 Lee Carey							11 Kirk Watts
Substitutes
12 Ryan Andrews							12 Ray Powell (for Kember 69)
14 Kevin Rose (for Spice 82)							14 Luke Fontana
15 Frankie Sawyer (for Gonnella 59)							15 Hamid Barr (for Logan 81)
16 Matt Maclean (for Kirkwood 62)							16 Tommy Tyne (for Kinch 45)
GK Paul Nessling							17 Richard Harris

Attendance 599

Referee John O'Brien (Wimbledon Park)

Assistants Dominic Lyons (Lewes) & Philip Wilks (Hove)