Latest match report

First Team reports | Reserve Team reports | Youth Team reports

Stone strikes to earn U's another shot - 3/2/10

United and Lewes will have to meet all over again in a Pilot Field replay, after this evening's Sussex Senior Cup third round tie ended with honours even at the Dripping Pan. The U's got off to a dreadful start, falling behind within two minutes, as Kane Louis fired home from a poorly defended corner, but Lewes were unable to build on their advantage, and United drew level in the nineteenth minute, when Adrian Stone grabbed his first goal for the Club, heading home a pinpoint cross from Liam Upton. A game of few genuine chances finally opened up late in the second half, once Lewes left winger Dan Royce had been sent off for aiming an alleged headbutt at Sam Adams with seventeen minutes remaining. The U's went on to dominate the contest throughout extra time, with Harry Pell highly prominent in their best attacking moves, although it was new signing Tyrone Sterling who went closest to snatching a winner, his shot cleared off the line by home skipper Anthony Barness in the 120th and final minute.

It is fair to say that neither side was exactly at full strength. A youthful Lewes side showed six changes from that beaten by Weymouth at the weekend, while the U's were still missing leading scorer Ade Olorunda through suspension, and injured midfielder Michael Phillips. Russell Eldridge was ineligible, having already featured for Horsham in this season's competition, while Steve Elliott was only fit enough to start on the bench against his former club. On a more positive note, Liam Upton returned from injury for his first appearance since Boxing Day, and new signing Tyrone Sterling played the full 120 minutes on his debut, while Steve Williams, Harry Pell and Stone all clocked up their third match in United colours since joining the U's last month.

United made a shocking start and were all over the place defensively for the opening few minutes. Scott Chamberlain forced Williams into a fingertip save after barely thirty seconds, and from the resulting corner, skipper Sean Ray blocked a Louis Pople effort on the line, only for Kane Louis to tap home from close range. United recovered well enough though, and both sides did their best to keep the ball on the floor, with the visitors slowly gaining the upper hand, Sam Adams testing home keeper Rikki Banks with a low shot. In the nineteenth minute, a neat passing move down the right ended with Upton crossing for Stone to head smartly past Banks for the equaliser, but despite going on to enjoy plenty of possession, United were unable to trouble Banks any further, Pell and Adams both missing the target from decent openings. The home side were equally quiet in front of goal mind you, with Louis' free kick in first half stoppage time curling just over the bar, a rare moment of alarm for Williams after that frantic start to the contest.

The second half saw the U's emerge without Upton, rested after his first forty-five minutes of action in over a month, with Josh Jirbandey taking over at right back, Jimmy Elford moving across to the left, and Sterling thrust forward into a more advanced position. The changes had little effect on the passage of play, with United still seeing plenty of the ball, but failing to create much in the way of clearcut goalscoring opportunities. Sterling was clearly enjoying the greater freedom of his new role, showing an impressive turn of speed, and no shortage of ability at beating defenders, although also an annoying habit of straying offside. At the other end, Lewes threatened only sporadically, but did go closest to a goal, when a near post corner from George Jones eluded Williams and dropped ominously in the six yard box, but Sterling was on hand to hook clear of the danger area. That aside, there was precious little to report, at least not until tempers suddenly frayed in the seventy-third minute. Royce tumbled over Adams' outstretched leg, as he tried to launch a Lewes attack down the left, although the referee saw nothing sinister in the challenge and waved play on. Royce foolishly decided to exact his own retribution for this perceived injustice, chasing after Adams and catching him with an ugly looking lunge, the two players subsequently squaring up to each other, and causing the referee to immediately produce a red card for the Lewes man. After reorganising their troops, the home side went on to enjoy perhaps their best spell of the half, with substitute Joe Keehan firing just over from twenty-five yards out, while Stone tested Banks from even longer range at the other end, and as the contest edged towards full time, a misunderstanding between Ray and Williams almost led to a calamitous situation for the U's, although the skipper was alert enough to clear once more.

Lewes appeared to opt for a more cautious approach in extra time, inviting United to commit more men forward, and looking to hit them on the break, and as a result, the game opened up significantly. Pell got a decent header to a Tim Olorunda cross, but Banks saved comfortably, and Ray then decided to win the game on his own, embarking on a sixty yard run from inside his own half, beating several weary challenges, only to be forced wide in the area, and for his cross to be blocked en route to substitute Luke Newman. Adams, Jirbandey and Pell all failed to make the most of presentable chances, with the Charlton youngster revelling in the spaces left by tiring opponents. It was his wayward pass that might have gifted the home side a late winner though, Louis unable to take advantage however, dragging a shot well wide from the edge of the area. And time was almost up when United launched one final raid of their own, Sterling skipping past a couple of tacklers and shooting low past Banks, only for Barness to clear off the line.

Whilst not a result that either side would necessarily have seen as ideal at the outset, both will have been content enough with the eventual outcome in the circumstances, with Lewes doing well to hang on with ten men, and United glad to have another chance against higher level opposition. The replay will take place at the Pilot Field in six days time, but before that, the U's will welcome Canvey Island as they return to home league action on Saturday.

Match facts	Efforts on target	Efforts off target	Free kicks conceded	Corners won	Offsides against
Lewes	4	5	13	6	1
Hastings United	6	7	18	4	10

Lewes (4-4-2)							Hastings United (4-3-3)
1 Rikki Banks							1 Steve Williams
2 Anthony Barness (c)							2 Jimmy Elford
17 Ryan Timms							3 Tyrone Sterling
4 Andy Pearson							4 Nathan Russell
5 Jamie Crellin							5 Sean Ray (c)
6 Chris Breach							6 Lee Carey
7 George Jones							7 Sam Adams
8 Scott Chamberlain							8 Tim Olorunda
9 Louis Pople							9 Adrian Stone
10 Kane Louis							10 Harry Pell
11 Dan Royce							11 Liam Upton
Substitutes
12 Arron Hopkinson (for Jones 63)							12 Josh Jirbandey (for Upton 45)
14 Jordan Lang (for Crellin 101)							14 Luke Newman (for Stone 95)
15 Joe Keehan (for Pople 79)							15 Steve Elliott (for Adams 112)
16 Scott Manning							16 Tony Dolby
GK Jamie Banasco-Zaragoza

Attendance 161

Referee Gary Croft (Sedlescombe)

Assistants TBC