Under 14 Colts
1066 Sporting Club Rother Youth League

Sponsored by Metalworx
Ponswood Industrial Estate
Drury Lane
St Leonards on Sea
Telephone 01424 446345

Rain jackets sponsored by Foxdown Construction Ltd
Link House, Link Place, Upper Hollingdean Road
Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 7DX
Telephone 01273 566556

Manager: Mr Will Toal

Mobile: 07825 323814
Email: williamtoal1@aol.com

News

13 April - United today lifted the BeSure Security Systems Under 14 League Cup, beating arch rivals Sedlescombe 3-0 in the final at The Saffrons in Eastbourne, with goals from Aaron Parris (2) and Tom Vickers.

The team is pictured below with the cup and their individual winners' trophies, and additional photos can be seen, along with the match report, further down the page. Back row, left to right, are James Walker, Eddie Randall, Danny Headech, Tom Vickers, manager Will Toal, Scott West, Ed Finch and Perry Blizard. Front row, left to right, are Josh Ensell, Rob Toal, Paul Butchard, Aaron Parris, Louis Hopper, Codey Riggs, Karl Cochrane and Kimi Riggs.

23 February - In response to something of an injury crisis, manager Will Toal has signed two new players ahead of tomorrow's home clash with Glenco. Central defender Karl Cochrane and midfielder Ed Finch both previously played for the now folded Junior Club Tackleway side, and everyone at United would like to welcome them to the fold.

25 November - Another new player has joined the Colts' squad this week, with the arrival of striker Sam Cherry from Hastings Gunners Yellow. His registration was through in time for him to make his United debut against Little Common Rovers today, and everyone involved with the squad would like to welcome Sam to the Club.

8 November - United Under 14 Colts are delighted to announce the signing of Jack Everitt, who has joined the squad this week and will hopefully be eligible to play this Sunday, subject to clearance from the Rother league. Jack hasn't played for any other club this season, but he did turn out for Glenco on a few occasions last year and, prior to that, enjoyed four seasons with Brighton as their goalkeeper, although he has now decided to try his luck in an outfield position. The whole team would like to welcome Jack to the fold and wish him the best of luck for the rest of the campaign.

5 November - After a three month spell coaching in the USA, team manager Will Toal has returned to once again take over the reigns from Darrol Parris and Paul Butchard, who have done a magnificent job in his absence. Will came to watch the side in action yesterday and was delighted with what he saw, as United thrashed Tackleway 15-0 (match report below).

24 October - United coach Darrol Parris decided to give the Under 14 Colts squad an unexpected training session this week, following Sunday's hard-earned draw with then league leaders Sedlescombe. However, there was a little surprise in store later in the evening, after the players had met on the seafront, under the impression that they were simply there for some fitness training and for a run along the promenade to finally meet up with their awaiting parents. As they finished their run though, the only person waiting for them was one of the Colts volunteer linesmen, Barrie West, who was quickly spotted by the squad near the crazy golf course, where it had been secretly arranged for the lads to have a game.

As the course was empty and there were ten individuals taking part in the "Colts Crazy Golf Open Classic", the proprietor was good enough to waive the usual 'maximum of four in a group' rule, and allowed the squad to play in groups of five instead. And although it was not exactly the warmest of evenings, by the time the eighteenth hole was reached, a good time had been had by all, and the atmosphere was certainly starting to get hot, with some warmly contested golf being displayed by all the competitors. The final scores were as follows.

1st - Darrol Parris, 42. (A bit of dodgy counting is suspected!)
2nd - James Walker, 46. (Subject to an R&A ruling over whether or not his dad was allowed to caddy for him halfway round!)
3rd - Barrie West, 47. (Would of been better if he'd had his own putter!)
4th - Aaron Parris, 48. (Did well, but not quite well enough!)
5th - Codey Riggs, 49. (Best place for him, in the middle!)
6th - Danny Headech, 53. (Doesn't know a putter from a snooker cue!)
Equal 7th - Eddie Randall, 57. (Afraid he won't ever be as good as his Dad!)
Equal 7th - Kimi Riggs, 57. (Managed to keep at least one foot on the ground while he played, unlike for one particular throw-in last Sunday!)
Equal 7th - Louis Hopper, 57. (Not quite sure what score he got but we'll say he got 57 anyway!)
10th and by no means least - Aaron's little brother Charlie Parris. (Needs a bit more work on what comes after one, is it two or three?)

After the game, the proprietor commented on how well behaved the players had been, and presented them with vouchers for three free games. The boys certainly represented the Club in an excellent manner, and it was very pleasing to received such a nice compliment from a member of the public.

League Table

Team Details

The 2007/08 United Under 14 Colts squad is pictured below, wearing their new training tops, which have kindly been sponsored by Jack Dalton of Morrisons Utility Services.

Pictured, back row, from left to right are James Walker, Perry Blizard, Tom Gillespie, Tom Vickers, Danny Headech, Rob Toal and Scott West. Front row, left to right, are Eddie Randall, Kimi Riggs, Aaron Parris, Codey Riggs, Paul Butchard and Louis Hopper.

The players are also pictured below wearing their new rain jackets, which have very kindly been sponsored by Mr Dave Randall and his associates from Foxdown Construction Ltd.

Pictured, back row, from left to right are Tommy Warren, James Walker, Danny Headech, Tom Vickers, Scott West, Sam Cherry and Aaron Parris. Front row, left to right, are Jack Everitt, Josh Ensell, Codey Riggs, Kimi Riggs, Robert Toal, Eddie Randall, Paul Butchard and Louis Hopper.

Fixtures, Results and Match Reports

3 May 2008 - Rye Town P-P Hastings United ColtsAlthough the hosts withdrew from this match at the last minute, the league awarded one point to each side, as the deadline for completing fixtures had been reached. Controversially, this left United two points behind champions Sedlescombe, although United would have conceded the title in any case, despite their superior goal difference, having lost twice in three meetings with Sedlescombe earlier in the season.

27 April 2008 - Little Common Colts P-P Hastings United Colts
This match was forfeited by Little Common Colts, handing United the three points for a walkover victory.

26 April 2008 - Sedlescombe Rangers Junior 2-1 Hastings United ColtsA warm and sunny Saturday afternoon greeted the two sets of players for what was effectively a title decider, United realistically needing only a draw to finish above the side that they had beaten so comprehensively in the League Cup final less than a fortnight earlier. United manager Will Toal decided to name the same starting eleven that had triumphed at The Saffrons, with Sam Cherry still unavailable, and Karl Cochrane nursing an injury, so Rob Toal was in goal, Paul Butchard, Scott West, Codey Riggs and Louis Hopper making up the defence, Eddie Randall, Tom Vickers, Ed Finch and Josh Ensell in midfield, and Aaron Parris paired with Danny Headech up front. James Walker, Perry Blizard and Kimi Riggs were on the substitutes' bench.

Despite looking more nervous than on any other occasion this season, United still managed to make the better start, and Tom's dangerous early cross flashed across the edge of the six yard box with nobody on hand to apply what could have been the simplest of finishing touches. The home side were frequently being forced onto the back foot, but United were frustratingly unable to find the killer through ball, or final pass, that might have broken the shackles, and their annoyance at themselves spilled over, as Scott talked his way into a foolish booking after disputing a free kick award in Rangers' favour. Tom and Ed were looking typically dominant in midfield, and were playing some fine balls out to Eddie and Josh on the flanks, but not for the first time this season, the superb Sedlescombe keeper was proving to be the main difference between the two sides, resisting the best of United's attacking endeavours with a succession of excellent claims from a series of crosses into his area. At the other end, Rob had been a virtual spectator throughout a surprisingly one-sided first half, but he was left badly exposed as Rangers took an ill-deserved lead ten minutes before the interval, Tom conceding possession in the centre circle, and one quick, through ball later, a home forward was clipping a shot past Rob for the opening goal.

The shock of falling behind only served to spur United on after the restart, as an unchanged line-up took the field, and Tom looked unlucky not to win a seemingly blatant early penalty after being sent tumbling in the area, especially with Danny being continually penalised for far more innocuous challenges, before making way for Perry, with James then replacing Josh on the left. United switched to three at the back, a move that was almost instantly effective in creating more chances at the other end, with Aaron only denied an equaliser by an outstanding save from their Rangers goalkeeping nemesis. As in the first half, United were almost relentless in their attacking play, and keeping the home defence under huge pressure, but they started to realise that it probably wasn't going to be their day, when on a rare visit to United territory, a Sedlescombe midfielder managed to mishit a shot that trickled into the left hand corner of Rob's goal to double the home side's lead and to leave United with a mountain to climb if they were to maintain their title ambitions. In a final throw of the dice, Kimi replaced Ed, as United reorganised in the middle, and they proceeded to launch everything at the home defence in the closing stages of the match. A series of corners failed to find their intended target however, and time was running out when Scott suddenly powered home a header to give United a lifeline with eight minutes remaining. But their incessant bombardment of the Sedlescombe goal went without further reward, and as in each of their two previous league meetings this season, Rangers were left eternally grateful for the heroic performance of their keeper in denying United the victory that their efforts undoubtedly deserved. The win took Rangers back to the top of the table with just a couple of games left to play, leaving United to hope for a massive favour from either Glenco or Rye, if they are to clinch a league and cup double before switching to the Crowborough League next year.

20 April 2008 - Glenco 3-7 Hastings United Colts
United's third match in seven days took them to Glenco, hoping for a repeat of the 6-2 victory they achieved over their ten man opponents in February, and to avoid a repeat of the 3-1 they suffered on the same ground way back in September. There were obviously some tired legs in United squad at the end of a busy week, so manager Will Toal decided to rest a few players and shuffle the pack this morning, and he was forced into further late changes when Codey Riggs was taken ill prior to kick off, with Sam Cherry already unavailable. Rob Toal was in goal as usual, with Paul Butchard, Scott West, Karl Cochrane and Louis Hopper in defence, James Walker, Tom Vickers, Ed Finch and Kimi Riggs in midfield, and Perry Blizard partnering Danny Headech up front, leaving Josh Ensell, Eddie Randall and Aaron Parris on the bench, Scott deputising for Aaron as skipper.

United looked full of confidence after claiming the scalps of both of their title rivals in their previous two games, but with rain having left the pitch in a rather sticky condition, the sort of silky, passing football that they had produced against Gunners Blue earlier in the week was going to be harder to repeat. United started the game brightly though, and forced Glenco to do all of the early defending, the momentum rewarded after just ten minutes, when Danny opened the scoring after muscling his way into the area past a couple of floundering defenders. After an excellent start against their 'bogey team', United sought to make even more of their dominance, with Ed and Tom firing some glorious passes out to the flanks, from which Kimi in particular was gaining a significant advantage, eventually picking out Danny with a fine right wing cross, from which the hard-working striker netted his second goal of the game. Glenco then twice missed good chances to get back into the game, as United went to sleep at the back for a few minutes, before regaining the initiative thanks to another astute pass from Tom, which sent Danny clear into space down the right, his cross this time finding Ed in the area for a cool headed finish. United were creating plenty of chances, but equally were defending well, with Paul frequently frustrating Glenco's attempts at passing the ball down their left and quickly turning defence into attack by playing Kimi into good crossing positions. From one of these telling passes, Kimi crossed for Danny who in turn completed a thoroughly well deserved first half hattrick to put United in complete command. The sole disappointment from United's point of view was that they managed to waste a series of corners and other chances, but it was a trifling inconvenience given the scoreline, which proceeded to look better still when James fed Perry in the area for a cracking finish and goal number five, and number six wasn't long in coming either, as United completed a magnificent first half display with a stunning twenty yard volley from Tom that yet again gave the despairing home keeper no chance.

Being so far in front, Will opted to make all three of his substitutions at the interval, as Scott, James and Danny made way for Josh, Eddie and Aaron, with United switching to a 3-5-2 formation, but the changes seemed to work against them after the restart, and a simple ball down the middle split the United defence apart and sent a Glenco forward through on goal, Rob making a fine save, but unable to hold the ball, with Karl subsequently adjudged to have fouled the striker as he tried to get to the rebound. The resulting penalty was calmly converted to give Glenco a glimmer of hope, and the hosts then added a second a few minutes later, when Rob decided not to come and collect a long punt downfield, allowing the striker to gleefully slot the ball home. It was vital for United to check the Glenco comeback before it took on crisis proportions, and completely against the run of play, they did just that, as Aaron's corner landed on Tom's head to at least restore a five goal cushion, but the balance of power immediately shifted back to the home side, who cut the advantage to four again after a neat move down the right hand side. Fortunately for United, Paul suddenly got to grips with his new role in heart of the back three, and coaxed a stronger performance out of his colleagues for the remainder of the match, which saw no further addition to the scoring, and sadly little in the way of footballing excellence on either side. Securing the three points guaranteed United at least the runners-up spot this season, but with news filtering through of Sedlescombe's surprise defeat to Gunners Yellow, the win took United to the top of the table and left the league title firmly within their grasp, with next weekend's meeting with Rangers likely to prove decisive.

15 April 2008 - Hastings Gunners Blue 0-4 Hastings United Colts
The newly crowned cup kings had precious little time to dwell on Sunday's heroic performance, returning to league action this evening for a second meeting against the Gunners in the space of nine days, the first of five games that United must play before the end of the season. Grove School was the venue on this occasion, and not only were the weather conditions a far cry from the two side's recent snow ridden encounter, but the Gunners were also able to field a much stronger line-up, and enjoy the luxury of naming a substitute for this fixture. For United, Scott and Tom had both recovered from the knocks that they had picked up on Sunday, allowing Will to name an unchanged starting eleven, but on the bench, Sam Cherry returned in place of the holidaying Perry Blizard.

Being asked to play such an important match so soon after a cup final could have had its pitfalls, but United looked remarkably sharp and fresh, full of confidence and playing with a swagger befitting a side on a six match winning streak in which they had scored forty goals. It wasn't long before they added to that tally, with Tom Vickers' telling run and slide-rule pass setting up Aaron Parris to fire United in front, and although the Gunners went close to an equaliser with a header that flew just over Rob Toal's crossbar, United continued to look much the better side, especially in midfield, while Danny Headech was proving a real handful alongside Aaron in attack. With barely a quarter of an hour gone, Ed Finch played a wonderful pass inside the full back to the marauding Eddie Randall down the right, his deep cross collected by Josh Ensell, whose stunning turn and crisp left foot shot saw United double their advantage, while a strong defensive display continued to thwart the Gunners' best efforts at getting back into the contest. As half time approached, Eddie won United a free kick just outside the area, which Aaron chipped cheekily into the back of the net to make it three, and to put United in cruise control.

James Walker replaced Josh ahead of the restart, and having been the unfortunate non-playing substitute at the weekend, quickly sought to make a positive impression on this evening's game, winning a strong challenge in midfield and swinging over a fine cross, from which Danny went close to goal number four. Louis Hopper picked up an injury and was replaced by Karl Cochrane at left back, which prompted the Gunners to try and take advantage of United's defensive reorganisation, pushing some of their bigger and taller players into advanced positions to provide United with a more physically demanding examination. The move backfired in unwelcome circumstances though, as a clumsy and somewhat rash tackle by Scott West led to a Gunners player suffering a shoulder injury that forced him out of the action, and left the home side with only ten men, having made their sole available substitution at the interval. Happily, the incident did not sour the spirit in which the contest had been played to that point, and once Rob had dealt with the resulting free kick, United settled back into an excellent rhythm and began to enjoy the greater share of possession, making the most of their extra man. Sam came on for Eddie in the closing stages and almost got on the scoresheet straight away with a shot that was blocked in the six yard box, and he was then the player fouled as United won themselves a late penalty, which Aaron confidently converted to complete yet another hattrick. The goal capped a dominant display from a rampant United side who moved a point clear at the top of the table as a result, and all but ended the Gunners' own title hopes into the bargain, while United's destiny remains in their own hands, as wins in each of their last four fixtures, including a visit to Sedlescombe, will see them crowned league champions and double winners.

13 April 2008 - Hastings United Colts 3-0 Sedlescombe Rangers Junior
Who needs Wembley Stadium when you can have The Saffrons? United enjoyed a weekend to remember, culminating in League Cup glory at Eastbourne Town Football Club, after a tremendous victory over table topping Sedlescombe. The players were treated to a slap-up breakfast on the morning of the game, followed by a game of ten pin bowling at Bexhill, before heading on to the final itself. They arrived in high spirits and full of confidence that they would be able to take the silverware home with them this season, especially after their demolition of Hastings Gunners Blue in the league a week earlier. The match attracted around a hundred supporters, including family, friends and other teams from the league, all of whom had come to see what had the makings of a great match, United's sponsors even making the trip to witness an ultimately memorable performance. United manager Will Toal had one absentee from his regular sixteen man squad, with Sam Cherry sadly unavailable due to other commitments. However, it still left Will with a selection problem that most managers would relish, who to start and who to leave out, but in the end he selected Rob Toal in goal, Paul Butchard at right back, Louis Hopper at left back, and Scott West and Codey Riggs in the centre. The midfield consisted of Josh Ensell on the left, Tom Vickers and Ed Finch in the middle, and Eddie Randall on the right, while Aaron Parris partnered Danny Headech in attack, which left Kimi Riggs, Karl Cochrane, James Walker and Perry Blizard on the bench. In his pre-match team talk, Will reminded the squad of how they had been outdone by a fluke goal in last season's final against the same opponents, which should have been motivation enough this time and it was clear to see that United were desperate to avenge that defeat, and two earlier league disappointments during the current campaign.

United won the toss, electing to take the opening kick off, and from the very start, they showed Sedlescombe what this match meant to them. They set about the task of pinning their opponents deep in their own half almost straight away, but they weren't passing the ball from midfield up to the two strikers, instead opting to shoot from up to thirty yards out, a tactic which they had been warned simply would not work against a keeper with the ability of Rangers' number one. Despite United's relative ineffectiveness going forward, Sedlescombe were struggling to deal with the dominance of United midfield, where Tom and Ed were winning everything that came their way, even if they were then failing to supply either Danny or Aaron with a telling pass. However, with only ten minutes on the clock, and with United in firm control, Tom embarked on a strong run down the left channel and provided a fine cross for Aaron to open the scoring, and to remarkably give United their first ever lead in a game against Sedlescombe. Visibly shocked by conceding the goal, Rangers fell back on their trademark route one tactics in an effort to muscle their way back into the game, although their quick striker, who had caused United no end of problems in previous encounters, was absent from the match, and it was only due to one momentary lack of communication between Paul and Codey that Rangers' long ball game looked remotely threatening. United were still not making the most of their considerable possession, and they also seemed to be on the rough end of a whole host of 50/50 decisions from the referee, but they continued to force the game, even though chances were few and far between. Scott made a good clearance to deny Sedlescombe a chance at one end, while Danny then forced his way into the area, only for his cross to be well cleared, preventing Aaron from poaching another goal for United. Rob was only called into action on a few occasions, but dealt competently with the sporadic threat on his goal, but he was being well protected by the solid partnership of Scott and Codey, while Louis and Paul also relieved the pressure quickly and efficiently. The half time whistle sounded with United still on top, however during the interval, Will observed that continually shooting from distance was unlikely to be the way in which United would be able to extend their lead, and strongly suggested that they should go back to the passing game that had served them so well on so many occasions in the past.

The message was clearly received and understood, as United immediately started to produce some flowing football after the restart, although Sedlescombe's defending became more determined and resolute as a consequence, still making it difficult for United to create a good shooting chance. Aaron and Danny were beginning to receive the ball to feet from the midfield though, and forced the Rangers keeper into a couple of fine saves, as United started to stretch their opponents defensively, forcing their midfield to drop deeper, and for them to leave a lone striker up front to chase the long balls being pumped upfield. A great block from Scott again protected Rob when Rangers created a decent opening, and United's keeper was able to enjoy another largely untroubled afternoon, and he was soon able to celebrate as United deservedly doubled their lead, Aaron's corner picking out the head of the ever-reliable Tom for a stunning finish. Sedlescombe heads started to drop, and United went in search of a third goal to make the game safe, as Perry replaced Danny in attack. Soon afterwards, Scott suffered an ankle injury that forced him to go off, being replaced by Karl, but the changes merely galvanised United as an attacking force, with the decisive strike arriving with ten minutes remaining, as Ed released Eddie down the right, and after selling his marker an outrageous dummy, he crossed for Aaron to fire home his second goal of the game. Kimi replaced Josh for the closing stages, and went close to a goal himself within moments of entering the fray, and Perry also missed a good chance near the end, but the damage had already been comprehensively done and the final whistle blew to confirm the first half of what United hope will be a league and cup double this season. Some photos from the day can be seen below, while the squad is pictured with the trophy further up the page in the news section.

6 April 2008 - Hastings United Colts 8-0 Hastings Gunners Blue
Not even a freak snowstorm could stop United this morning, as they met Hastings Gunners Blue in a top of the table clash and inflicted a heaviest ever defeat on their opponents, who were admittedly missing a few players and were unable to name any substitutes, although they had shown what they were capable of in beating title rivals Sedlescombe a couple of weeks beforehand. With the League Cup final just a week away, manager Will Toal was lucky enough to be able to choose from a full squad, which inevitably meant that two players would not get a game today, and miss the opportunity of staking their claim for a place at The Saffrons. Will decided to start with Rob Toal in goal, Paul Butchard, Codey Riggs, Scott West and Louis Hopper in defence, Eddie Randall, Tom Vickers, Ed Finch and Josh Ensell in midfield, with Aaron Parris and Danny Headech up front, leaving Perry Blizard, Kimi Riggs, Sam Cherry, James Walker and Karl Cochrane on the bench. As the players took to the field, the snow was falling lightly, but the pitch was in good condition, and showed no ill effects from the rain that had fallen the previous day. The Gunners elected to kick up hill in the first half, and Will's team talk prior to kick off instructed United to "hit the ground running", and to catch Gunners off guard in the early stages. He wasn't to be disappointed.

United put the Gunners under pressure right away, pinning them back into their own half, leaving Rob as a relative spectator for the first ten minutes. The reward was not long in coming, as Tom crossed from the right for Aaron to volley the ball past a helpless keeper to give United an early lead, and with Ed and Tom dominant in midfield, and Eddie and Josh running their full backs ragged down the flanks, further goals seemed sure to follow, Tom duly obliging with a long range effort that flew between the unfortunate keeper's legs and put United two up. Refusing to back off and become complacent or over-confident, United continued to play an effective passing game, while the Gunners suffered a significant blow when one of their defenders suffered an injury serious enough to require a trip to hospital, forcing them to struggle on with only ten men. Their collective mindset was also far from aided by the antics of one of their supporters, who stormed onto the pitch to confront the referee after a strong, but fair, challenge on his son, and United took full advantage of a lapse in concentration from a corner, delivered by Aaron for Tom to rise unchallenged and head powerfully home from ten yards out to put United three goals to the good at half time.

An unchanged eleven lined-up for the restart, but an early error by Scott almost let in the Gunners for a quick goal back, but the shot went agonisingly wide of Rob's left hand upright, and United survived to make the most of that escape, showing an immense workrate that soon caused their numerically disadvantaged opponents to tire, leaving plenty of gaps for United to exploit. Aaron ran onto Tom's defence-splitting pass to beat the onrushing keeper for United's fourth goal, and after replacing Danny for United's first substitution, Perry fired in a shot that was too hot for the keeper to handle, and Aaron pounced on the rebound to complete another well deserved treble. Sam replaced Eddie on the right, as the Gunners started playing purely for pride in what had become blizzard conditions, but United comfortably kept them at bay, and added a sixth goal to their tally when Tom danced into the area and beat the keeper with a low shot to complete an incredible fourth hattrick in as many matches. Karl came on for Louis in United's final switch of the day, but it was Ed who then got his name on the scoresheet with goal number seven, a fine shot from just inside the area, and he then grabbed a second to complete the rout, with a close range finish that took a slight deflection off a Gunners defender. The handsome win allowed United to finally bury their long-standing jinx of never having previously beaten the Gunners, and they did it in style as well, superbly setting themselves up for next week's cup final showdown.

16 March 2008 - Hastings United Colts 10-6 Little Common Colts
The second meeting between these two sides in a fortnight was delayed until the afternoon by the Hastings Half Marathon, and despite a damp pitch and misty weather, turned out to be a classic of extraordinary proportions, a sixteen goal feast for the spectators who braved the conditions. With title rivals Sedlescombe having lost to Hastings Gunners Blue the previous day, United's destiny was back in their own hands, although they would have to be respectful of a Little Common side that included several members of their more successful Crowborough League squad. United manager Will Toal named Rob Toal in goal, Paul Butchard, Scott West, Codey Riggs and Louis Hopper in defence, Eddie Randall, Tom Vickers, Ed Finch and Josh Ensell in midfield, with Danny Headech accompanied by Aaron Parris in attack. Sam Cherry, Karl Cochrane and Perry Blizard were named on the substitutes' bench. Neither side managed to master the awkward playing conditions in the early stages, especially once a strong wind started to blow the mist away, but United were soon able to grab an eighth minute lead and open the goalscoring floodgates.

It was Aaron who gave United their lead, getting on the end of Eddie's cross after a strong run down the right, but Little Common were quickly back on level terms after a long ball held up in the wind and left Rob undecided as to whether or not to come out to claim it, allowing a visiting midfielder to steal in and apply a fine finish. An almost identical move then saw Little Common take the lead virtually straight from the kick off, but United recovered their composure and subtly altered their own midfield tactics to counteract the gale, eventually winning a dubious looking penalty for a foul on Aaron, when the defender appeared to have won the ball, justice probably being served when Aaron struck the spot kick over the bar. United shrugged off any feelings of disappointment and maintained the pressure on the Little Common goal, deservedly equalising, albeit in slightly fortunate circumstances, when Josh's attempted cross to the far post drifted over the stranded keeper and into the back of the net. Determined not to let Little Common off the hook again, United poured forward in search of more goals, and after the Little Common keeper had denied them with a couple of fine saves, Eddie forced his way into the area and, although his excellent cross evaded both Danny and Aaron, it did pick out Josh who struck his second goal in a matter of minutes to put United back in front. At that point, the mist began to roll in once more, only to be quickly blown away and replaced by a fine drizzle, which would have threatened to ruin the match as a spectacle, were it not for the scintillating attacking play on show, epitomised by Tom's surging run from inside his own half to the edge of the Little Common area, ending with a stunning shot that allowed United to open up a two goal advantage at the interval.

Half time brought an opportunity for Will to rally his troops, particularly United's rather flagging defence, which was experiencing an unusually tough time, certainly not improved within a couple of minutes of the restart, when the visitors clawed their way back into the match again by halving United's lead. For a spell, Little Common threatened to level the scores again, as United's midfield abandoned its defensive duty and the struggling back four seemed unable to adequately protect Rob from their marauding opponents. However, some firm instructions from the sidelines gave United the impetus to wrestle control of the game once again, especially after Aaron chased down a long ball and set up Danny to re-establish the two goal lead. There was no stopping United now, and a fine move involving Louis and Eddie ended with Danny crossing for Aaron to convert the goal of the game and to put United three goals clear. Number seven wasn't long in coming either, with Danny getting his rear end onto a corner from Louis to realistically make the game safe, and then completing his hattrick, before going off as Will sent on all three substitutes for the closing stages. The changes didn't upset United's rhythm, and Tom grabbed his second of the game, and United's ninth, from another corner by Louis, before embarking on a powerful run from deep inside United territory, brushing off would-be challengers, and finally tucking the ball past the keeper to complete his third hattrick in as many matches, and to take United into double figures. With the victory well and truly wrapped up, United relaxed a little too much in the final few minutes, while Little Common were still very much taking things seriously, scoring three times in quick succession to give United plenty to think about, but the mini-comeback came too late to affect the final outcome, and United were still able to celebrate a handsome win in the end, defensive inquests aside of course.

9 March 2008 - Rye Town 2-6 Hastings United Colts
A place in the League Cup final was up for grabs this morning, as United travelled to take on a Rye side that they had already beaten twice in the league this season. Will Toal clearly signalled his intention to win the match by naming a strong line-up, with Rob Toal in goal, Louis Hopper, Scott West, Codey Riggs and Paul Butchard at the back, Kimi Riggs, Tom Vickers, Josh Ensell and Eddie Randall in midfield, and Aaron Parris and Danny Headech up front, but it was the home side who struck first, taking advantage of a defensive error to open the scoring barely five minutes into the contest. The goal had come largely against the run of play, but failed to knock United off their stride, and the home keeper kept his side in front with a string of fine saves, despite picking up a nasty looking injury in a challenge with Danny, which saw him require lengthy treatment. He was eventually beaten when his defence were unable to clear a corner from Louis, allowing Tom to pounce on the loose ball to equalise. Aaron, Danny and Tom all saw efforts hit the woodwork, as United went looking for more goals, only for another mix-up at the back to gift the home side a second goal to put them back in front. With an upset suddenly looking on the cards, United dug deep in search of a second leveller, which Tom again provided, rising to beat the incapacitated keeper to Aaron's corner, and United then hit the front for the first time shortly before the interval, when yet another corner from Aaron caused panic in the Rye defence, with Josh this time on hand to apply the finishing touch.

Although the half time scoreline rather flattered the home side, Will decided to give the United midfield a bit more strength by replacing Kimi with Ed Finch ahead of the restart. The move seemed to pay dividends, as United looked even more dominant in the second period, muscling Rye out of the game, and clearly upsetting the home manager, whose less than sporting comments created an unnecessarily sour atmosphere, at a time when his players could have done with some more inspirational and motivational words. United showed tremendous character to rise above his antics though, and continued to poor forward in search of a fourth goal, which remarkably arrived from another corner, again picking out Tom for a looping header to complete a fine hattrick. Perry Blizard replaced Danny up front and immediately started to link well with Eddie down the right, but a series of excellent crosses failed to produce the goal that would have put the final result in no doubt. The unfortunate Rye keeper finally succumbed to his earlier injury midway through the second half, and his outfield replacement was soon picking the ball out of the net, as United at last grabbed goal number five, Perry setting up Eddie for a neat finish. Paul made way for Karl Cochrane at the back, and United were able to relax, knowing that a place in the final was theirs, although they did add one more goal to their tally, when Eddie returned a favour by setting up Perry for a simple finish. A few other decent chances were wasted in the closing stages, as United missed out on an opportunity to run up a cricket score in the end, but a nonetheless emphatic victory was more than enough to send United through to a second successive final appearance, keeping alive their hopes of a league and cup double. Equally impressive though, was the superb attitude shown by United's players despite the extraordinary behaviour of some of the home contingent, who seemed intent on provoking and bullying United into a negative reaction, only to be met by the perfect response of a footballing lesson instead.

2 March 2008 - Little Common Colts 1-7 Hastings United Colts
United ventured to Little Common in the Spring sunshine this morning, for a long awaited league game, the scheduled home encounter between the two sides having been postponed in mysterious circumstances a few weeks previously, that now being the subject of a league investigation. As usual, Rob Toal was in goal, with Paul Butchard at right back, Louis Hopper at left back, and Scott West partnering Karl Cochrane in the centre. Josh Ensell started on the right hand side of midfield, with Kimi Riggs on the left, and Ed Finch and Tom Vickers in the middle while, Perry Blizard and Danny Headech led the line, Eddie Randall, the free scoring Aaron Parris, and Codey Riggs, starting on the bench.

Scott took over the captain's armband and elected to kick off after winning the toss, United then starting at a tremendous pace, with their two strong central midfielders allowing nothing to get past them. Despite being bottom of the league, Little Common certainly gave a good account of themselves, but they were finding it very hard to get out of their own half at times, and United soon made their territorial advantage count with the opening goal of the game, Ed picking up possession in the right channel, and turning smartly inside to fire home a shot from the edge of the area, a fine effort and his first goal for the Club. United continued to dominate the possession and it wasn't until the tenth minute that Rob managed to get his first touch of the ball, easily claiming a hopeful long ball. Kimi and Louis were linking up nicely down the right, with the former putting in some telling crosses which were well dealt with by the home keeper, and over on the left, Josh was making a nuisance of himself, and with fifteen minutes on the clock, he forced a corner, from which Louis picked out Tom on the edge of the box for a powerful header that doubled United's lead. After the restart, the home side enjoyed a decent spell, and their speedy striker began to cause Scott and Karl a few problems, although he lacked a bit of composure on the ball and was unable to find a route to goal. United weathered the brief storm though, and Tom soon collected a throw-in and advanced to fire in goal number three from the edge of the area to apparently put United in complete control. Once again though, Little Common raised their game from the kick off, and gradually started to ease their way back into the contest, still lacking a bit of conviction in front of goal, but carrying a significant threat that eventually saw them cut United's lead, after a neat one-two caught the defence flat-footed, and allowed a striker through to roll the ball past Rob. United almost conceded a second just before half time, when a long ball over the top sent the home striker clean through, only for Rob to save bravely at his feet and to preserve his side's two goal lead.

Manager Will Toal decided to use all three of his substitutes at the interval, with Perry replaced by Aaron, Ed by Eddie, and Karl by Codey, and with one half of Little Common's dangerous strike force having to withdraw through injury, the new arrivals were able to settle in during another period of United dominance early in the second half. Within five minutes of the restart in fact, United extended their lead, as Paul sent a lovely ball through for Eddie to drive towards the goal, and as the keeper came out to narrow the angle, Eddie knocked the ball inside for Aaron to find the empty net with his very first touch of the game. Aaron wasn't done there either, as United quickly regained possession after the kick off, Danny embarking on a surging run into the area, which was halted by a foolish tackle for a penalty, which Aaron converted to make it two goals in two minutes and from his first two touches of the ball. The home side battled hard to get back into the game, but found United in irresistible form and playing some delightful football, especially down the flanks where full backs and wingers were linking up to superb effect. Another goal seemed inevitable and it arrived when Codey played in Aaron down the left and an unselfish low cross picked out Tom, who was able to walk the ball into the open goal to complete a well deserved hattrick. As Little Common heads started to drop, United sensed that there were plenty more goals for the taking, although Codey was required to produce one excellent cover tackle to deny the home side the chance of a consolation strike. Scott then struck a tremendous shot from the edge of the area, having been picked out by Aaron's corner, the ball flying past a helpless keeper to bring up United's magnificent seven, and Danny, Aaron and Scott again all went close to heaping yet more misery on the deflated Commoners in the closing stages. Tom left the field after turning an ankle with ten minutes remaining, forcing United to more cautiously play out time with ten men, keeping half a mind on next weekend's cup semi-final against Rye Town, but with the game long since comfortably won, it was but a minor inconvenience on an otherwise splendid day at the office.

24 February 2008 - Hastings United Colts 6-2 Glenco
After being without a fixture last weekend, United returned to action at home to a Glenco side that had beaten them earlier in the season, the only team to have done so until the narrow reverse at Sedlescombe last time out. United manager Will Toal had some selection problems going into the game, with James Walker ruled out with a broken wrist, Sam Cherry and Jack Everitt both unavailable, and Scott West and Kimi Riggs recovering from back and rib injuries respectively. However, the visitors arrived with only ten players, so Will elected to shuffle the pack once more, and gave debuts to new signings Ed Finch and Karl Cochrane. As usual though, Rob Toal started in goal, with Paul Butchard, Karl, Codey Riggs and Louis Hopper lining up across the back four. The midfield comprised Kimi on the right, Ed partnering Eddie Randall in the centre, and Josh Ensell on the left, while Aaron Parris and Perry Blizard were paired in attack. The strong looking substitutes' bench featured Tom Vickers, Danny Headech and Scott.

Despite playing a man short, Glenco started the game at a terrific pace and, with some very tall players in their side, were soon putting United under all sorts of pressure. Ed got off to a good start, and was soon making the most of his size, muscling his way through the midfield, however it was to be first blood to Glenco, as a neatly placed pass split the United centre backs, allowing a speedy Glenco striker to advance and fire past Rob to give his side a deserved lead. From the restart, United tried to get a grip on the game, and were soon forcing the Glenco defence onto the back foot, pinning them deep inside their own half for lengthy periods, and forcing a number of corners. It was from one of these that Karl managed to bundle the ball home from close range, as Glenco failed to clear their lines, levelling the scores once again, no more than United deserved for their hard work to that point. Perry was unlucky not to score, when he linked up well with Aaron on the right, Aaron's shot then deflecting into Perry's path, but with the goal at his mercy, he skewed his shot horribly and it went out for a throw. United had now taken control of the game though, and Glenco were posing far less of a threat than they had in the early stages, although United were soon to suffer another injury blow, when Codey fell awkwardly after making a fairly routine clearance, which resulted in him having to go off, and Scott coming on earlier than planned to take his place. However, the substitution did not alter United's formation and they retained a good rhythm for the remainder of the half, taking the lead ten minutes before the interval, as Perry played a superb defence-splitting pass into the Aaron's path, and United's leading scorer made no mistake.

Half time arrived with United bossing the midfield and seemingly in control of proceedings, although Will decided to use his other two substitutes in any event, Tom replacing Josh, and Danny coming on for Perry. Danny's strength and pace immediately caused problems for the Glenco defence and it was quickly evident that there was only going to be one winner in this contest. United soon extended their advantage, when Danny battled his way down the right wing, cut inside and crossed the ball for Aaron to chest it into an empty net. Glenco were really struggling to get out of their own half by now, and when they did, their attacks were reduced to nothing by United's well organised defensive line. Scott then took up possession just inside his own half, and set up Tom for a strong run down the right hand side, which ended with a simple cross for Aaron to complete his hattrick and put United three goals clear. Despite battling hard at the back, Glenco heads were beginning to drop, but they were suddenly lifted for a couple of minutes, when a long ball over the top left the United defence flat-footed, and Rob visibly in two minds as to whether or not he should come for the ball, allowing the Glenco striker to pounce and reduce the arrears to two. United found a rapid response, as Danny latched onto Tom's fine pass to fire a shot through the keeper's legs for United's fifth, and after another period of clear superiority, during which Louis and Kimi took complete control of the left flank, Tom surged through the middle in familiar style to score with a twenty yard shot, and to put the finishing touches on a fine United display, that exacted sweet revenge for their loss in Ninfield way back at the end September.

10 February 2008 - Sedlescombe Rangers Junior 1-0 Hastings United Colts
United took on league leaders Sedlescombe Rangers this morning in a vital top of the table clash, this season's previous encounter having ended in a tense 1-1 draw, in which United were only denied a late winner by a fine save from the Sedlescombe keeper. With a full squad available, manager Will Toal shuffled the pack slightly, although Rob Toal was between the posts as usual. Codey Riggs was switched to right back, with Tom Vickers paired with Scott West at centre back, and Louis Hopper at left back. The midfield consisted of Eddie Randall on the right, Perry Blizard and Aaron Parris in the middle, and Josh Ensell on the left, while Sam Cherry and Danny Headech were selected up front. James Walker, Jack Everett, Paul Butchard and Kimi Riggs were named on the bench.

Sedlescombe kicked off and started strongly, but within five minutes, United had assumed control, breaking up play at every opportunity, and producing some free-flowing football. The home side were forced onto the back foot, but their defence proved hard to break down and, for all their possession, United seldom threatened to break the deadlock. Likewise though, Sedlescombe struggled to find a way through United's well organised defence, although they did just that on one occasion, and Rob was relieved to watch a fine shot cannon back off the crossbar, before being cleared to safety. The contest was certainly proving to be a physical battle, and United clearly weren't pulling any punches, at times causing their opponents to pull out of some of the more whole-hearted challenges. United did their best work down the right channel, Sam working some good openings, but continually being repelled by Sedlescombe's strong defence, while Josh at least forced the keeper into a fairly routine save from a long range effort. Danny and Sam certainly looked to have the pace to get behind the defence, but with Sedlescombe's keeper in typically fine form and sweeping up any United through balls, chances were kept to a bare minimum at both ends, and the half eventually came to a close without a goal for either side, United having been marginally the better of the two teams, a point that Will was quick to make to the players during the interval.

The second half began as the first had ended, with United pinning Sedlescombe back in their own half and forcing their opponents to abandon any sense of tactical play, in favour of hitting long balls over the top of the United defence, which caused them few problems at the back. The pressure on the Sedlescombe goal continued, but completely against the run of play, one of those long balls suddenly caught United's defence napping, and the quick Sedlescombe striker took advantage and slotted the ball past Rob to put his side in front. Despite being utterly deflated by the goal, United continued to push forward, now in search of an equaliser, and Will changed things around, with James coming on for Danny, and Josh moving into the centre alongside Aaron, who then went desperately close from a free kick, which dropped agonisingly over the bar with the keeper well beaten for once. Kimi replaced Perry, with Eddie dropping to right back, Codey moving into the centre with Scott, and Tom moving into a more familiar central midfield role. The switch paid almost immediate dividends, when Tom received the ball and surged towards goal, striking a shot from just outside the area that swerved just wide of the right hand post. United forced a handful of corners and Scott missed a chance beyond the far post, misreading the flight of the ball and failing to make the most of a decent opportunity, but with a few minutes to go, United were finally forced to admit that it was not going to be their day, as Aaron found himself clean through with only the keeper to beat, and having been forced wide, his goalbound shot from a very narrow angle was cleared off the line by a covering Sedlescombe defender. The final whistle signalled the end of a truly immense performance from United, a magnificent effort that saw them largely outplay a very good Sedlescombe side, but left them harshly unrewarded in terms of the final scoreline. The defeat also left them eight points behind Sedlescombe at the top of the table, although United do have a game in hand, and the two teams are still due to meet one more time before the end of the season, what may yet prove to be a pivotal encounter.

27 January 2008 - Hastings United Colts 7-0 Westfield
It was a return to League Cup action today for United, as they took on lower league Westfield in the quarter finals. In the previous round, United had enjoyed a very easy passage, winning 13-0 against Little Common Rovers, but manager Will Toal certainly wasn't taking Westfield lightly, especially as they had reached the semi finals last season. With Kimi and Codey Riggs away on holiday, Will named a side which featured Rob Toal in goal and a back four of Paul Butchard, Scott West, Tom Vickers and Louis Hopper. James Walker, Aaron Parris, Josh Ensell and Eddie Randall made up the midfield, with Danny Headech and Perry Blizard starting up front, while Jack Everett and Tommy Warren were named as substitutes.

Right from the opening kick off, Westfield found it hard to get out of their own half, as United applied all the pressure, but with the midfield and attack having been shuffled about to compensate for players being unavailable, United were lacking a little composure in front of goal and missed out on an early goal to settle them down. Danny was seeing the best of the opportunities, but his efforts were going agonisingly off target, although United's continuous pressure did result in a number of corners in rapid succession, and it was from one of these that they eventually broke the deadlock. Aaron precise delivery fell to Josh for a shot at goal, which looked to be going wide until Scott appeared at the far post to head United in front. Whilst clearly deserving to have finally taken the lead after dominating play, it appeared that United were stuck second gear and, despite being asked to play a short passing game, United seemed intent on hitting a lot of long balls over the Westfield defence. United continued to create plenty of chances though, but proceeded to waste many of them, Danny going close to scoring when a cross found him unmarked and with plenty of time, only for him to head the ball over the bar. With twenty-five minutes of the match gone, Scott doubled his and United's tally at last, when he arrived late at the far post and fired the ball home from another cross by Aaron. Trying to make the best of the long ball tactics, Will decided that Aaron and Perry should swap places to utilise Aaron's pace and the switch almost worked instantly, as both broke clean through on goal, only to be denied by some brave goalkeeping, keeping the tie still within the visitors' reach at the interval, during which Will emphasised the point about sticking to the original gameplan, with United definitely not playing to the best of their abilities.

United seemed to heed their instructions after the restart and Aaron soon made a good run into the area, sidestepped the onrushing keeper and squared the ball for James to slot into an empty net for probably his easiest goal of the season. Although apparently out of the contest, Westfield never gave up to their immense credit, but United were simply too strong for them and were again dominant in possession and territorial advantage. This became increasingly evident, as Danny surged into the box and played the ball to Ed for another easy tap-in to put United four goals up. Having put the game out of reach, United switched to a three man defence, as Paul made way for Tommy at right back, and Tom Vickers went into midfield. Tom's presence added yet more strength in the centre and, apart from the odd occasion, Westfield really found it impossible to unduly trouble Rob in the United goal. Aaron was turning defenders inside out and, when he drove into the area, he invited a clumsy challenge from a Westfield defender that sent him flying, with Aaron picking himself up to convert the inevitable penalty for goal number five. Perry was replaced by Jack, playing in front of the back three, which in turn gave Josh and Tom the freedom to push on and join the attack and, never one to let a chance pass him by, Tom then got on the end of a flick from Danny to score United's sixth. Westfield refused to give up and continued to battle to keep United at bay, although Scott was unlucky not to complete his hattrick as he went very close on two more occasions from corners. Tom then went on one of his trademark runs down the left wing and crossed the ball into the area for Aaron to volley the ball into the net from inside the six yard box to complete the scoring in the last few minutes, wrapping up a handsome victory despite United not truly being at their best, and setting up a semi final against either Hastings Gunners Yellow or Rye Town.

6 January 2008 - Hastings Gunners Yellow 1-7 Hastings United Colts
After a six week break since their last outing, thanks to a series of postponements and the Christmas period, United finally got back into action this morning, when they made the trip to The Grove School to take on Hastings Gunners Yellow. With such a long lay-off having been forced upon them, coach Darrol Parris took the players for a gentle run and some light fitness work during the week, before manager Will Toal took a more vigorous training session twenty four hours before kick off. Unfortunately, Will was then unable to attend the match due to a painful injury he had picked up himself, so Paul Butchard and Darrol stepped in to deputise in his absence. Will had already selected a team of Rob Toal in goal, Paul Butchard Jnr at right back, Scott West and Codey Riggs at centre back and Louis Hopper at left back. In midfield, Josh Ensell was on the left, Tom Vickers and Ed Randall in the middle and Kimi Riggs on the right, while up front, Aaron Parris and James Walker continued a partnership that had bagged a total of nine goals between them in the last game before Christmas. Perry Blizard, Danny Headech and Sam Cherry were on the substitutes' bench. This had the potential to be a difficult game for United for a number of reasons. The Gunners had already beaten their close rivals and table topping Gunners Blue earlier in the season, and United's lack of recent action would surely count against them. Will had enforced in training the importance of not getting carried away with any decisions that may go against them on the day, and Darrol was quick to reiterate that point ahead of the game.

Initially, United looked a touch rusty, but so did the Gunners to be fair, and both teams struggled to force any good goalscoring chances. However, United just shaded the early proceedings and took the lead after only ten minutes when Aaron broke through on goal and kept his head to slot the ball past the advancing keeper. The early goal allowed United to settle and, although they were capable of playing better football, they did at least begin to dominate the game, creating a number of other chances which came to nothing. At the back, Scott and Codey were giving solid performances, frustrating the Gunners' forwards and restricting their chances to a minimum. The Gunners' chose to attack more frequently down the channels, where United were looking a little vulnerable at times, but struggled to trouble Rob in the United goal. The midfield quartet were playing well, although the final pass was somewhat lacking in conviction at times, as the Gunners' defence intercepted pass after pass. James was trying hard to get involved in the action and was denied a clear penalty when his legs were taken from beneath him following a rash tackle from behind, the referee surprisingly waving the appeal away, but, to United's credit, they accepted the decision and carried on playing without complaint, just as they had been asked. United refused to let the incident affect them and, shortly before half time, the ball fell to Scott in defence and his fine run and superb pass picked out Tom, who had made a brilliant run of his own, and he made no mistake, slamming the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0 to United at the interval.

As the second half got underway, it was the Gunners who were taking the game to United, scoring a rather soft goal that caught the visitors napping and brought the home side back into the game. United responded by making a change, which saw James make way for Danny up front, and his strength was like a breath of fresh air, as he proceeded to almost bully the Gunners' back four into submission and to force them into sudden errors. One such mistake brought about United's third goal, when a Gunners defender needlessly handled a cross into the area, and Aaron duly stepped up and drilled the ball straight down the middle to once again restore United's two goal advantage. From that point on, United never looked back, as Sam replaced Kimi on the right wing and immediately started putting in some more dangerous crosses. Josh was continuing to play well and chased down a miscontrolled ball from a Gunners player, before slotting a precise ball through to the strong running Tom, who doubled his tally for the day to make it 4-1. By now, the effects of Christmas dinner and mince pies had well and truly been worked off. Paul was replaced by Perry, who went into the centre of midfield, with Eddie dropping into the right back position. Perry signalled his arrival with a neat pass that set up Aaron for his hattrick and United's fifth and, almost straight from the kick off, Aaron took full advantage of another one-on-one with the home keeper to score his fourth goal of the game and his twentieth of the season. Sam then completed the scoring with a determined effort, avoiding challenges from two Gunners defenders on the edge of the area to make the score 7-1. The Gunners at least finished the game strongly and went close with five minutes left, only denied by Rob's quick reactions in racing off his line to bravely deny the Gunners a second goal. Sadly, Rob came off second best in the challenge, and United had to finish the game with ten players, as Rob went off injured and Scott briefly took over into goal. Although the game was a largely scrappy affair, an improved second half performance gave United the result they needed and deserved, and one that took them to within two points of Sedlescombe above them, whom they must still play twice more this season.

25 November 2007 - Little Common Rovers 0-13 Hastings United Colts
United stormed to a convincing victory in this League Cup second round tie this morning against lower league Little Common Rovers. United manager Will Toal had the luxury of a full squad to select from, which meant that someone would have to miss out, and Danny Headech was the unfortunate player. Rob Toal took his usual place in goal, with the back four also unchanged from the previous week's frustrating win at Rye in the shape of Paul Butchard, Scott West, Codey Riggs and Louis Hopper. Kimi Riggs, Tom Vickers, Eddie Randall and Josh Ensell made up the midfield, with Aaron Parris partnered up front by James Walker, playing in an unfamiliar role. Sam Cherry was named amongst the substitutes on his United debut, alongside Jack Everitt and Tommy Warren.

United set out their stall right from the opening kick off and, for the first time in a few games, their delightful passing football was immediately in evidence. Rovers started with two up front, but it became quickly apparent that they were not going to be able to cope with United's level of intensity, and they soon switched to a lone striker, supported by an attacking midfielder. However, seven minutes into the game, the ever dangerous Aaron opened his and United's account with a low shot past the keeper, and United simply never looked back. Almost straight from the restart, United regained possession and Tom struck a superb left foot shot from outside the area, which rocketed into the net to make it two, and around the twenty minute mark, Aaron added two more in quick succession, to complete an early hattrick and put United four goals up. Rovers really had their backs to the wall, and United were able to push Scott, Louis and Paul into more advanced positions, all three having a hand in a fantastic move for goal number five, Eddie and Aaron eventually setting up James for a simple finish, with James quickly building on that confidence booster by adding another, and then Scott scoring for the second game running to make it seven before the interval.

Tom, Scott and Louis were all withdrawn at half time, to rest them ahead of next week's top of the table clash with Hastings Gunners Blue. Sam slotted into the midfield, with Jack joining him, and Tommy dropped into the left hand side of defence as United switched to a three man back line. The changes seemed to have a slightly negative effect on United's performance for a spell, and the game became a touch scrappy, although some instructions from the sidelines soon convinced United to start knocking the ball around again, with Josh and Eddie performing well, Sam settling in nicely with his new teammates, and Jack stepping in where Tom had left off by winning headers just in front of the back three. Ten minutes after the restart, Kimi found himself sprinting into the area with only the keeper to beat and made no mistake to make it eight, with Aaron soon grabbing his fourth and United's ninth. James was being inspired by Aaron's boundless energy, continually tackling back and winning the ball, and his efforts were rewarded when he first completed his hattrick, and then quickly added a fourth to take United into double figures and beyond. Sam made it a debut to remember by chasing down a half chance in the area to put his name on the scoresheet, and as the final whistle approached, James capped off a superb individual effort by bagging his fifth of the game to take United's final tally to a far from unlucky thirteen. The overall performance was just what was needed after last weekend, with United working so hard and playing some magnificent football to see them ease through to a third round meeting with Westfield. And finally, a special word for Little Common Rovers, who must be commended for their superb sportsmanship throughout an ultimately one-sided contest, but one in which they battled to the very end, not once allowing their heads to drop, and were truly a credit to themselves, their manager, their supporters and to their club as a whole.

18 November 2007 - Rye Town 1-2 Hastings United Colts
Illness struck United ahead of today's return match against Rye, with Tommy Warren, Josh Ensell and Danny Headech all unable to play, although manager Will Toal was still able to name a squad of twelve players after recent signing Jack Everitt's registration finally came through earlier in the week. Rob Toal was in goal as usual, with Paul Butchard at right back, Scott West and Codey Riggs the centre backs, and Louis Hopper at left back. Jack, Eddie Randall, Tom Vickers and James Walker made up the midfield quartet, with Aaron Parris and Kimi Riggs forming the strike partnership, and Perry Blizard named as substitute on his return from injury. Earlier in the season, United showed Rye how a defence should perform in restricting their chances to an absolute minimum, as they cruised to 4-0 win. However, within ten minutes of the opening kick off at Iden Recreation Ground this morning, it was Rye who were enjoying the luxury of a one goal lead, when United only half cleared a long pass into their area, Tom and Codey reacting slowly to the call to push out of the danger zone, and being punished as they played a Rye striker onside, who advanced to fire a shot inside Rob's far post. United responded by laying siege to the Rye goal, but their final passes were frustratingly off target, and United seemed too often to be settling for long balls, which failed to find a teammate, as the home defence proved hard to break down. At the other end, Rob was carrying an injury and was thankfully only called into action on a couple of occasions to deal with Rye's own long balls over the top of the United defence. At the other end, United continued to search for an equaliser, with Jack linking up well with Eddie in midfield, and James constantly thwarted by the Rye keeper, who was confidently claiming every cross and pass into his area, as if he had superglue on his gloves!

United made a change ahead of the second half, as Jack made way for Perry to play alongside Aaron, while Kimi dropped back into midfield. Rye also took the opportunity to regroup at the break and came out of the starting blocks a lot quicker than United, immediately putting Rob's goal under pressure, but in time, United found their passing game again and they began to create a series of half chances. Despite having the lion's share of possession though, and keeping Rye pinned back in their own half for long periods, the equalising goal was proving elusive, so Will decided to change the formation, switching to a three man defence and pushing Scott into midfield alongside Tom. United went on to enjoy even more possession and the ceaseless pressure finally resulted in a richly deserved equaliser, when Scott's shot from outside the box just evaded the scrambling keeper and crept agonisingly over the line. This was a huge setback for the Rye players, who had battled so hard to retain their advantage for so long, but for United, not content with just a single point, it was a chance to push on for all three, with Will moving Scott up front to play with three in attack. This nearly proved costly, as Rye launched a quick break from midfield, which left Paul and Codey stranded, but Louis was thankfully on hand to clear the danger. United's quest for victory resumed, although Aaron seemed unable to find the touch that had seen him bag ten goals in the two previous games, and Perry's return from a long injury lay-off appeared to have left him lacking in match fitness and short of a yard of pace. Scott had an opportunity to score his second of the game, but was brilliantly denied by the keeper's smart reactions, but the chances were now coming thick and fast and finally, with barely five minutes remaining, the ever reliable Tom surged into the area and fired an almost slow motion shot into the back of the net, sealing the fine comeback win, for which United had worked so hard. Scott dropped back into defence for the final stages, ensuring that United saw out the game with their lead intact, keeping the pressure on the two sides above them, who were due to meet today in a top of the table clash.

11 November 2007 - Hastings United Colts 6-2 Hastings Gunners Yellow
After a week without a fixture, United returned to action with an eagerly awaited return match against the Gunners. Rob Toal was in goal as usual, with Paul Butchard at right back, Tommy Warren at left back, and Codey Riggs and Scott West in the centre. The midfield quartet was Josh Ensell, Eddie Randall, Tom Vickers and James Walker, while Aaron Parris partnered Danny Headech in attack. Unfortunately, new signing Jack Everitt's registration wasn't completed in time for him to feature and, with Perry Blizard still injured, and Louis Hopper withdrawing from the game through illness, it left Kimi Riggs as United's lone substitute. The unsettled weather, the early morning rain, and the grass being a little long, all made for less than ideal conditions as far as United's free-flowing passing game was concerned and they certainly found it tricky to play to their strengths. It all led to a rather slow start to the game, but a fine pass from Eddie into the right hand channel finally got United going, as Aaron cut inside into the penalty area and calmly placed a shot past the keeper to put United a goal up. United were unable to build on their lead though, and the Gunners equalised when Rob failed to react quickly enough to a long ball over the top and was beaten by a fine strike. The goal served as a wake-up call for United, who suddenly realised that this could well be a much more testing game than their big win over the same opponents on the first day of the season. At last, United started to string some passes together, but continued to lack the killer touch, until Tom played a superb pass that again found Aaron in the right hand channel, Aaron once again making no mistake and restoring United's lead with a near-identical strike to his first goal. United were now taking a firm hold on the game, despite being repeatedly frustrated by the Gunners' official, who seemed intent on raising his flag at every opportunity, although Aaron quickly lifted their spirits again by breaking into the area to complete his hattrick with another similar strike. It was now the turn of the Gunners' players and supporters to become a bit frustrated, and they began to shout and appeal for anything that wasn't going their way, giving the game an unpleasant atmosphere as a consequence. And things went from bad to worse for the visitors when Aaron popped up in the area again to grab his fourth goal, arguably the best of the bunch, a superb left foot shot past the keeper to make it 4-1 to United at the interval.

Manager Will Toal made a change at half time, with James making way for Kimi in the left midfield role, and after a more determined start to the second period, Danny hit a great shot over the head of the Gunners' keeper from outside the area to extend United's lead still further. This certainly didn't improve the mood of the Gunners' supporters, who even resorted to accusing the referee of cheating, although they were cheered when a through ball was collected by a Gunners striker on the right wing, and he produced a superb lobbed finish over Rob from the edge of the area to reduce the deficit to three once again. And had it not been for Rob's heroics, the gap could have been closed further, one brave save at the feet of a Gunners forward standing out. Time seemed to creep by as the game became rather scrappy towards the closing stages, and neither side will have been terrifically proud of its performance on the day. However, United managed to find the net one more time when Aaron netted his fifth goal of the game, running onto Kimi's through ball to take his tally to ten in two matches. Although not a brilliant game, it was a resounding victory for United and another three points on the board to keep the pressure on the top two sides in the table, United having games in hand on both.

4 November 2007 - Junior Club Tackleway P-P Hastings United Colts
This weekend's immediate return fixture against Tackleway was called off amidst some confusion as to whether or not United's would-be opponents had actually decided to fold after their tough start to the season. Contact with various Tackleway club officials proved inconclusive and United were forced to await a ruling from the Rother League about the situation, which subsequently confirmed that Tackleway had indeed called it a day, with all results against them to be discounted from the records.

28 October 2007 - Hastings United Colts 15-0 Junior Club Tackleway
United were lucky enough to have almost a full squad available today, the only exception being Perry Blizard, who missed the visit of basement boys Tackleway with a toe injury. The starting line-up consisted of Rob Toal in goal, Paul Butchard at right full back, Louis Hopper on the left, with Codey Riggs and Scott West in central defence. In midfield, Tom Vickers and Aaron Parris were in the centre, Eddie Randall was on the right and Josh Ensell on the left. Danny Headech partnered Kimi Riggs in attack, with James Walker and Tommy Warren on the bench. United had the advantage of a strong wind at their backs in the first half, which initially seemed to affect their gameplan, with passes from midfield sometimes being overhit and wingers and strikers finding it difficult to keep the ball in play. This was a game in which scoring plenty of goals could do United no harm at all, especially with Tackleway having conceded an average of six per game up to this point in the season, although it took best part of fifteen minutes for United to find the back of the net, a fine effort from Eddie, who fired past the keeper from eight yards out. United still were finding the conditions a bit awkward, but Tom soon added a great goal, when he embarked on one of his dangerous runs into the penalty area to double the lead. After the kick off, United's midfield were winning plenty of possession and Eddie was frequently seeing a lot of the ball wide on the right, producing a series of fine crosses, from which Kimi might have scored on at least two occasions. Eventually, Tom made no mistake from another opportunity to score United's third, but they generally still seemed to be finding it hard to get the ball down and play flowing football, as had been the trademark of their season to date. Tackleway were forced to substitute their keeper before half time, when he came off second best in a challenge with Kimi, but his replacement proved to more than competent shot stopper, until he was beaten with only five minutes left before the interval by Danny, who battled well to create an opportunity for himself to open his account and make the score 4-0 at the break.

The start of the second half saw Kimi and Louis replaced by James and Tommy respectively, which resulted in a shuffle of the pack, with Aaron going up front, Eddie moving next to Tom, James taking up the left hand midfield position, and Josh switching to the right. This rather complex change proved to be tactically sound, when Aaron soon grabbed his first of the game and United's fifth, and as United's confidence grew, the usual standard of neat passing football once again returned. James received the ball on the left and played a defence-splitting pass into the channel for Aaron to coolly cut inside and slot the ball past the keeper for number six, and Tackleway heads began to drop, despite having the wind behind them, as Tommy, Scott, Codey and Paul experienced no problems in dealing with the visitors' attempts to pull a goal back, with Rob little more than a spectator in the United goal, apart from one occasion when the breeze caught him a unawares and he fumbled a shot out for a corner. With United at last mastering the conditions, it came as a bit of a blow when Josh had to come off because he was feeling unwell, but United soon shrugged off this setback and Danny then scored his second goal of the game to make it 7-0. This had a further noticeable effect on the Tackleway players and their energy seemed to have been suddenly sapped from them, resulting in gaps opening up all over the pitch for United to exploit, as they switched to three at the back and pushed Scott into midfield. One good move later, Aaron claimed his hattrick after once again linking up well with the midfield to put United eight up and the writing was on the wall for the hapless visitors. United began to score goals for fun and looked as if they could play football at pace all afternoon, the fitness work they had been doing in training all season clearly paying dividends, as they started to completely dominate proceedings. Eddie's energetic running once again saw him find the back of the net to take the score to 9-0, and not to be outdone, Scott made the most of his more advanced position to calmly put a twenty yard effort out of the Tackleway keeper's reach to put United in double figures. Every time Tackleway kicked off again, United were quickly winning the ball back and working it from defence to midfield and up to the forwards, more often than not resulting in a goalscoring chance. Danny took one of them, latching onto a fine pass from midfield and completing his hattrick for number eleven and a few minutes later, a cross came in from the right and Danny bravely dived in front of the approaching keeper to head the ball home for his fourth and best goal of the day to make it twelve. The game had long since ended as a contest and the one-way traffic continued in the closing stages, with Aaron scoring another two goals for a personal tally of five, and Tom getting another to claim a hattrick, wrapping up the scoring spree at fifteen, and inflicting Tackleway's biggest defeat of the season. It was a superb performance by United, a game in which they dominated in every area, with Rob in goal scarcely touching the ball half a dozen times, a perfect reflection of a strong defensive effort, while the three points took United up into third place in the league table.

21 October 2007 - Hastings United Colts 1-1 Sedlescombe Rangers Junior
After a week without a fixture, United were somewhat threadbare once again for the visit of high flying Sedlescombe Rangers this morning, with Scott West and Tommy Warren away on holiday, and James Walker missing due to illness, leaving the squad without a substitute for the game, hardly an ideal situation, as United looked to avenge last season's desperately unfortunate cup final defeat. United lined-up with Rob Toal in goal, Paul Butchard, Louis Hopper, Codey Riggs and Tom Vickers in defence, a midfield of Josh Ensell, Aaron Parris, Eddie Randall and Kimi Riggs, while Danny Headech and Perry Blizard played up front. The game got underway amidst a strangely quiet atmosphere, and the only player that could be heard was Rob in goal. The two week break seemed to have done United no favours at all, as they struggled to compete with Sedlescombe's powerful front line and very fast winger. United's passing left a lot to be desired, in particular the final ball, which resulted in a dearth of shooting chances, while at the other end, one of Sedlescombe's tall forwards was being continually caught offside, causing the action to be interrupted time and again by the referee's whistle. Ultimately however, United were unkindly punished for a rare defensive lapse, with Tom and Codey both failing to clear a long ball, allowing that same visiting forward to run through on goal and beat Rob with a cool finish. United maintained their composure, despite going a goal behind, and Kimi and Josh both managed to get decent balls into the Sedlescombe area on a few occasions, but neither Danny nor Perry could feed off this service. United carried on battling for every ball, although the final pass was still frequently letting them down. Eddie was his usual busy self, but the absence of Tom next to him, seemed to lead to Aaron being pulled out of position, Sedlescombe making the most of this imbalance and dominating the midfield area for lengthy periods.

United took on board their managers' half time advice and went out in determined mood for the start of the second half, immediately stepping up the pace and putting pressure on the Sedlescombe defence. Kimi and Josh continued to swing crosses into the visitors' penalty area, and both Danny and Perry started to get shots away, albeit lacking the accuracy that would bring United level. Fifteen minutes into the second period though, Tom picked up a loose ball in front of the back four and ran at the Sedlescombe players, managing to keep control of the ball and forcing his way into the right hand side of the Sedlescombe area, before cutting inside and passing the ball neatly inside the far post for a superb equaliser. Sedlescombe responded to this setback and pushed an extra player forward to form a three man attack, although Louis reacted well and showed some excellent reading of the game, and Paul began linking up well with the midfield and got in some very strong tackles to break up the Sedlescombe play. Rob was called into action when a long pass again left him one-on-one with a Sedlescombe forward, but this time he managed to save very bravely at the striker's feet. In the final couple of minutes, United went looking for a winner of their own, and nearly had it when Aaron had a point blank shot saved brilliantly by the Sedlescombe keeper, but in a true game of two halves, a draw was probably the fairest result in the end, with certainly neither side deserving to lose the contest.

7 October 2007 - Hastings United Colts 2-2 Hastings Gunners Blue
After last week's slip-up at Glenco, United returned home for the visit of table topping Hastings Gunners Blue this morning. With regular keeper Rob Toal injured, it befell Tommy Warren to deputise between the posts, while the defence comprised Paul Butchard, Codey Riggs, Scott West and Louis Hopper. In midfield, Kimi Riggs occupied the right flank, with Tom Vickers and Eddie Randall in the centre, and James Walker on the left, and the fit again Aaron Parris partnered Perry Blizard in attack, with Danny Headech and Josh Ensell named as substitutes. The game got off to the worst possible start for United, who found themselves a goal down within the first five minutes, when a long ball downfield caught the United defence napping and Tommy was easily beaten by a close range shot. United were struggling to make any impact on the game and it wasn't long before another ball into their penalty area saw Codey turned inside out by a Gunners forward, who ended up being brought down by Codey for an obvious penalty, which was converted despite a good effort from Tommy to keep it out. Going two goals behind finally acted as a wake-up call to United and they soon began pushing forward and playing some nice passing football, but without being able to turn their possession into a goal. The Gunners continued to pose a serious threat on the break and another long ball sent a Gunners striker clean through on goal, but Tommy made himself as big as possible and did enough to put the forward off and the shot scraped the post on its way out for a goal kick. United rallied once again and dictated the game for the remainder of the half, pulling a goal back ten minutes before the break, when Scott's free kick was controlled superbly with a cushioned header by Tom for Perry to place the ball past the onrushing keeper. The goal gave United a real sense that they were back in the game and they continued to create opportunities for the rest of the half, albeit without reward.

The second half started with United kicking down a slight slope and they came out as if they meant business with plenty of flowing, passing football. Perry made way for Danny to give the side a bit of extra strength up front and it wasn't long before Danny made his presence felt, as he outfought the Gunners defence time and again, creating chances for Tom on more than one occasion, only to see them blocked every time by the visitors defence. The Gunners seemed increasingly content to simply launch long balls out of defence, but it again took some superb keeping from Tommy to thwart them in a one-on-one situation. A quarter of an hour into the second half, James made way for Josh, who slotted in next to Danny, with Aaron dropping to the left hand side of midfield, which proved to be an effective move, as the chances then started to arrive thick and fast and the Gunners had their backs to the wall for lengthy periods. Tom had a twenty yard effort brilliantly saved by the Gunners' keeper, while Aaron also had several attempts, one hitting the bar and others going narrowly wide, and Kimi also had a chance which he couldn't quite reach with his head. United's pressure was relentless and the Gunners really struggled to keep them out, but Tommy was still being called into action to deal with more long passes over the top. United's patience was then finally rewarded when they grabbed a deserved equaliser, Aaron's corner being cleared back to him and he made no mistake at the second attempt, striking the ball over the keeper's head to level the scores. United could suddenly sense that a stunning victory was there for the taking, and Scott came close to a winner when he headed against the bar from a corner, while Tom was denied another chance, when Danny laid a lovely header backwards into his path, only for him to be dubiously flagged offside. The final whistle sounded with honours finishing even, as although each and every player had battled hard, a winning goal had just eluded United, while Tommy's brave heroics in goal ensured that at least a point was secured.

30 September 2007 - Glenco 3-1 Hastings United Colts
United went on their travels again this morning, this time to Ninfield to take on a mid-table Glenco side. The team was down to its bare bones once again, due to an injury to Tom Vickers, while Tom Gillespie had switched to Little Common earlier in the week. United lined up with Rob Toal in goal, Louis Hopper at left back, Scott West and Codey Riggs in central defence, and Paul Butchard at right back. The midfield consisted of Kimi Riggs on the right, Perry Blizard and Eddie Randall in the centre, and James Walker on the left, while Josh Ensell and Danny Headech started up front, with Aaron Parris named as a substitute, alongside Tommy Warren, after picking up a knock last week. After losing a scrappy double-header against Glenco last season, United knew to expect a tough encounter, but they started brightly and seemed to grab a hold of the game, enjoying plenty of possession, with most of the play going down the left hand side. Eddie ran his heart out as usual, and some nice through balls from Perry created opportunities for Danny and Josh which they couldn't quite convert. In the twentieth minute though, Eddie managed to break from the centre of midfield and hit a high, looping shot over the top of the home keeper to deservedly put United one up. Glenco's response was to bombard the United defence with long balls over the top, in the hope that their strikers could get on the end of them, and the tactic paid off in the most unfortunate fashion for United, as Rob came out of his goal to tidy up a poor attempted clearance, only to strike the ball against a home forward, and watch it ricochet over his head and into the back of the net for the equaliser. United continued to play some good football and created a few more half chances, but the killer instinct that had seen them score eleven goals in their first two games just seemed to be lacking. Glenco continued to knock predictable long balls towards the United area, but it again paid dividends when a hurried clearance struck a United player on the hand, clearly unintentionally, although the referee thought otherwise and awarded a desperately harsh penalty, from which Glenco were able to snatch a half time lead.

The second half started as a carbon copy of the first, with United creating chance after chance, but still failing to find the target, while their frustration grew at the referee's award of some further contentious decisions in the home side's favour, upsetting the flow of the game, as well as the temperament of the United players. Josh made way for Aaron, who, although not fully fit, came on to see if he could make something of the many chances that were falling United's way, but alas this was not to be, and yet another long ball over the top created confusion in the United defence, with Rob's usually secure handling letting him down at the vital moment, the ball slipping from his grasp and allowing a Glenco player to slot home to put the home side two goals ahead. United refused to give up and continued to apply pressure on the Glenco goal, hitting the bar and seeing the home keeper clear what looked like a certain goal off the line, but the final whistle sounded without further addition to the scoring, and United had slipped to their first defeat of the season.

23 September 2007 - Hastings United Colts 4-0 Rye Town
With the choice of a full strength squad for the visit of Rye Town, United named Rob Toal in goal, a back four of Paul Butchard, Scott West, Codey Riggs and Tommy Warren, a midfield of Kimi Riggs, Aaron Parris, Tom Vickers and James Walker, and a strike partnership of Perry Blizard and Danny Headech. And United carried on where they had left off the previous week, dominating proceedings from the start, although with Rye fresh from a 9-3 win over Little Common in week one, it proved difficult to break down the visitors' organised defence. United did however create ample opportunities to get on the scoresheet, with notable efforts from Tom and Aaron going agonisingly wide. Despite some decent crosses being fed in by Kimi and James, Danny and Perry were kept quiet in attack, with only half chances coming their way. Midway through the half though, United finally managed to edge in front thanks to a fine twenty yard strike from Kimi. This seemed to be just what United needed and, shortly before the interval, Tom made one of his screaming twenty-five yard efforts count, giving the keeper no chance and putting United two goals to the good.

The start of the second half saw James make way for Louis Hopper on the left hand side of midfield, and Rye come out of the starting blocks very quickly, but Rob was more than a match for their efforts, despite having been largely redundant to that point. Ten minutes into the half, Tom Gillespie replaced Perry, taking up a central midfield position, with Aaron pushing forward into a striking role. United continued to dominate the game but, as Aaron made a run into the box, he stumbled on the ball and went down very hard on his ankle, having to be carried off and being replaced by Josh Ensell. Shortly afterwards, Tom drove home another twenty-five yard shot to put United three up, and Rye seemed to start losing interest. By contrast, United were really on a roll now and, when Tom took up possession in the centre circle, a gap just seemed to appear in front of him, allowing him to get into a good crossing position for Kimi to tap in goal number four from only a few yards out. Rye continually struggled to break down the United defence, and their attacking ideas seemed limited to hitting long balls forward into the channels, easy pickings for full backs Paul and Tommy. With not a lot to do in goal, Rob could be constantly heard encouraging his defence, in which Scott and Codey gave commanding performances, helping Rob and United keep a clean sheet, and earning praise from the Rye manager, who declared that United had given his team a lesson in defending. All in all, this was another fine performance from United, who played some excellent passing football and ran out worthy winners, going top of the table as a result.

16 September 2007 - Hastings Gunners Yellow 1-7 Hastings United Colts
United picked up a fine victory this morning against newly promoted Hastings Gunners Yellow at The Grove School, despite the absence of a few players, which forced the side to name just one substitute. The first half saw United playing into a strong wind, but it didn't seem to trouble them unduly, as they kept the ball on the ground and played some neat passing football. It wasn't long before the ball was worked down the right hand side for Josh Ensell to volley home a cross to put United in front. Despite continuing to press forward, the Gunners went very close with stand-in keeper Tommy Warren making a great goalline clearance when an equaliser looked a certainty. Numerous attempts from Tom Vickers, Aaron Parris and James Walker followed, but it was Josh who scored his and United's second goal after some good work from Kimi Riggs down the right. With the referee suffering from an injury heading into the game, the match was played over only thirty minutes each way, so the interval arrived quicker than usual, but after some words of encouragement from the manager and coach,

United were soon back to their gameplan of passing, flowing football as the second period got underway. Within a few minutes of the restart, the ball was passed through the middle of the Gunners' defence for Danny Headech to hold his nerve and slot the ball home for his first goal, and the strikes seemed to come thick and fast thereafter, with a lovely move, started by Tommy in goal, ending with Aaron cutting inside and slotting the ball home from a very tight angle for United's fourth. At that point, Josh made way to give Perry Blizard a run-out up front, and the Gunners' heads started to drop, as a strong defensive display from Paul Butchard, Codey Riggs, Scott West and Louis Hopper coped comfortably with the best of the home side's infrequent attacks. United's fine passing football then created another goal for Danny, followed by a superb twenty-five yard strike from Tom to make it six. Kimi topped off a good display by making it seven late on, but United still went looking for more goals, allowing the Gunners to break from midfield and grab a consolation effort near the end. The final result was a well deserved win and three points for United though, getting their Rother League campaign off to a cracking start with a tremendous all-round performance.