Tuesday, October 4, 2011

United's four match unbeaten run in the league came to an almost inevitable end this evening, when for the fifth season running, they emerged pointless and goalless from their visit to Billericay Town.

The home side scored both of their goals during the first half, the opener a personal nightmare for U's skipper Sean Ray, who sliced Sam Berry's largely innocuous free kick past an unnecessarily hesitant Lloyd Anderson in the thirteenth minute.

Eight minutes before the interval, the Essex side doubled their lead when Ricay captain and centre back Rob Swaine was somehow allowed a free close range header from a corner, although United boss Jason Hopkinson was most vociferous in his view that Anderson had been prevented from coming to collect the driven cross by foul means.

Benson Kpaka had earlier skied a gilt-edged chance to give Billericay the lead, but on the whole, United gave as good as they got in the opening period, their two best opportunities both falling to left winger Dan Bolwell, who fluffed his lines on each occasion, when a more natural goalscorer would surely have made one the chances count.

The first was surely as easy a chance as Bolwell will ever get in a Hastings shirt, following up after Jack Dixon's twenty yard effort had been fumbled by Nicky Morgan, only to allow the keeper an easy save from his mishit shot at point blank range. The former Brighton youngster later miskicked again, when Lee Carey's free kick reached him in the area, as United's only clearcut openings of the game both went begging.

The second half was all about how many times Billericay would breach United's increasingly overstretched back line, and it took a series of wasteful finishes to keep the scoreline down to two. Defenders James Hawes and Swaine, and strikers David Knight and Jay May, could all of have added to the U's misery, but only once was Anderson forced to make a save.

Ray also went horribly close to converting a second own goal, while at the other end, United offered precious little, despite the addition of Lee Paine to the striking ranks five minutes after the restart, which enabled makeshift forward Rhys Whyborne to retreat into a marginally more familiar midfield role.

Yet again though, those two first half Bolwell efforts aside, United appeared totally impotent in the final third, and started to look increasingly ragged in defence the longer the game wore on. New signing Ryan Thomson had a quiet debut down the right hand side, while fellow new arrival, Finnish national Jarkko Antonen, remained on the bench throughout.

At least the U's showed a degree more attacking intent than against Leatherhead a week ago, Whyborne initially linking up with Kenny Pogue in a 4-4-2 formation, but the long time centre half's lack of match practice was clear, as was his unease at playing in such an advanced role.

Jamie Crellin added to United's problems by collecting his fifth caution of the season, which will lead to a one match ban when the U's visit Sittingbourne in the second round of the League Cup in a fortnight, while another disappointing evening was rather summed up by Fred Foreman's slightly embarrassing entrance as a seventieth minute substitute, when he was belatedly allowed onto the pitch wearing the wrong shirt number, after it became apparent that his intended number had been left in the changing room!

Although a lot less serious that it might have been, United's goal difference took a sufficient dent to ensure that they fell below inactive Kingstonian in the league table, with Harrow moving ahead of them as well, leaving the U's back in sixteenth place ahead of Saturday's visit from a Hendon side currently in fourth, but a game in hand away from top spot.

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Billericay Town (4-4-2)							Hastings United (4-4-2)
1 Nicky Morgan							1 Lloyd Anderson
2 Sam Berry							2 Jack Dixon
3 James Hawes							3 Scott Manning
4 Benson Kpaka							4 Jamie Crellin
5 Rob Swaine (c)							5 Sean Ray (c)
6 Andy Thompson							6 Josh Jirbandey
7 Billy Radley							7 Ryan Thomson
8 Craig Edwards							8 Kenny Pogue
9 Jay May							9 Rhys Whyborne
10 David Knight							10 Lee Carey
11 Paul Semakula							11 Dan Bolwell
Substitutes
12 Chris Wild							12 Ross Sutton (for Bolwell 50)
14 Tony Boot							14 Jarkko Antonen
15 Harrison Chatting							15 Lee Paine (for Thomson 50)
16 Courtnay White							17 Fred Foreman  (for Pogue 70)
GK Jack Avery

Attendance: 273

Referee: Ian Fissenden

Assistants: Tim Burman & Lee Dyson