Saturday, September 10, 2011

Around forty minutes after kick off this afternoon, United collectively started to prepare a letter bound for Ryman League headquarters, enquiring if they might be permitted to make a permanent base somewhere in south Essex. Two goals up, and looking solid enough at the back, the U's looked set to repeat their success at East Thurrock during the first week of the campaign, only to allow their concentration to slip twice in the final moments of the opening period, letting Concord back into a contest that would ultimately end all square.

Yet much as United's careless defending contributed to the loss of two points at Thames Road today, Jason Hopkinson's men will justifiably be able to point an accusatory finger in the direction of the officials, who spent the entire first half giving the impression that physical contact in the game had been completely outlawed, but then failed to award the U's a second half penalty when Jack Walder was sent tumbling in the Concord area.

Walder's inclusion was one of four changes to the side from last week's toothless defeat to ten man Carshalton, with Jack Dixon back from holiday and straight into the starting eleven at right back, Ross Sutton making his first start of the campaign after finally shaking off an ankle injury, and Ben Billings also leaving the treatment table behind him. Scott Manning, Dan Bolwell and Fred Foreman all dropped to the bench, with George Jones unavailable, while Rhys Whyborne, a relative veteran in the context of the current United squad, making his return to the Club, and to the game in general, after spending the best part of a year in self-imposed exile.

The defender was given a late run-out as a substitute, by which time both teams seemed to have decided that a point would be their lot, although before departing the scene, Arron Hopkinson went close to snatching a last gasp winner with a low shot that crept narrowly wide. It was Hopkinson who had given United a thirty-fourth minute lead, converting a Billings cross from the left, to at last break the monotony of a fairly lacklustre contest, ruined by continuous blasts of the referee's whistle.

The surprise of that goal out of the blue was nothing compared to the emotion when Matt Hall grabbed his second goal of the season just four minutes later, Hopkinson turning provider this time with a low ball in from the right hand side, that the former Leyton Orient midfielder met with another close range finish.

With only seven minutes left before the interval, the U's were firmly in the driving seat, but their hosts produced a spirited response in the face of sudden adversity, and striker Kyle Asante, one of two Southend United loanees making their Concord debuts, sprung United's brittle offside trap to race clear onto a Tyler Campbell pass, giving Lloyd Anderson no chance with a composed finish that belied his tender years. Still three minutes for United to hold on before they could seek sanctuary in the changing room, and it proved to be sixty seconds too long, as Sean Ray upended Harry Elmes for a penalty, that was converted by Michael Noone to send the sides in on level terms.

The Beachboys started the second half as they had ended the first, and the U's had Anderson to thank for a smart save to deny Elmes not long after the restart, but the visitors looked generally untroubled, and ought to have been awarded a spot kick of their own, when Walder's run into the area was abruptly curtailed by Richard Halle's far from legal challenge. The ex-Lewes man again appealed in vain for a penalty with around ten minutes remaining, although more in hope than expectation second time around, and Hopkison's late chance aside, the contest drifted towards its conclusion with honours even.

While the U's will probably have been happier with a point on their travels, than still winless Concord will have been on home turf, the inevitable sense that two points had been thrown away was still much in evidence. Every point feels precious at the moment, mind you, and this one took United back out of the bottom four and into seventeenth place, and only one win away from holding a mid-table position. That victory will be very much up for grabs at the Pilot Field on Tuesday, when another of the U's fellow strugglers, Kingstonian, pay them a visit, and remembering last season's controversial encounter, there is certainly some unfinished business for United in that one!

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Concord Rangers (4-4-2)							Hastings United (4-5-1)
1 Dale Brightly							1 Lloyd Anderson
2 Ashley Miller							2 Jack Dixon
3 Teddy Nesbitt							3 Ross Sutton
4 Richard Halle							4 Jamie Crellin
5 Steve King							5 Sean Ray (c)
6 Lee White							6 Josh Jirbandey
7 Tyler Campbell							7 Arron Hopkinson
8 James Elmes							8 Jack Walder
9 Kyle Asante							9 Kenny Pogue
10 Harry Elmes							10 Matt Hall
11 Michael Noone							11 Ben Billings
Substitutes
12 Billy Coyne							12 Fred Foreman
14 David Adedipe  (for Campbell 74)							14 Rhys Whyborne (for Hopkinson 90)
15 Julian Okai (for Noone 74)							15 Scott Manning (for Sutton 62)
16 Daniel Subuola  (for Asante 71)							16 Dan Bolwell
GK James Dudley							17 Lee Carey (for Walder 85)

Attendance: 196

Referee: Lloyd Wood

Assistants: Adam Miller & Tony King