Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Although it has long since become easy to make jokes at the expense of the U's apparent inability to win a single game in any FA competitiion, this evening's miserable home defeat to Bedfont in an FA Trophy first qualifying round replay was definitely no laughing matter.

Even by this season's standards, now managerless United were desperately poor, giving the visitors the opportunity to finish the job that they so nearly completed in Saturday's first encounter. Having escaped with a draw at the weekend though, the U's should really have been strong enough to see off their lower league opponents, but from the moment that Bedfont took the lead from a hotly disputed penalty, there only looked like being one winner.

Quite how referee Lee Venamore was able to come to the conclusion that Scott Manning had handled Rishi Nankani's driven cross in the eighteenth minute is anyone's guess. The United man, selected at right back to accommodate Sean Ray's return to the side, threw himself into the path of the ball with arms raised for the sake of leverage, and effected a fine block from point blank range with the side of his chest, only for the official to point to the spot. Wayne O'Sullivan followed up his goal at the weekend by sending Lloyd Anderson the wrong way to give his side a controversial lead.

With more than three-quarters of the contest remaining, the goal ought to have served as nothing more than a wake-up call to United, but they allowed themselves to get increasingly frustrated by a series of other marginal decisions that went against them, and Bedfont almost took full advantage before the interval, with Nankani's header and Tommy Williams' long range shot both kept out by superb Anderson saves. At the other end, visiting keeper Gary Ross was able to watch on as Jamie Crellin and Jamal Fenelon fired well off target from distance, while Ray headed over from a late Lee Carey corner.

On three further occasions at the start of the second period, United's former skipper found space in the area from Carey corners, but each time, he was unable to direct his header on goal. This was as concerted a spell of pressure as the U's managed in the entire game, but having failed to find an equaliser by the hour mark, confidence began to drain, and not even the introduction of the combative Kenny Pogue for the virtually anonymous Fenelon made more than a token difference to their attacking exploits.

Seventy minutes in, Ross Sutton finally produced United's only attempt on target on the night, a twenty-five yard daisy cutter that was routinely gathered, but far from stirring the hosts to a rousing finale, it proved to be the signal for Bedfont to start counter-attacking with pace. And with eight minutes remaining, Tyron Sealey's quick break down the left and astute chip to the far post presented Williams with the simplest of volleyed tap-ins to end the game as a contest.

The U's reacted in sllightly over-exuberant fashion, collecting three bookings in ninety seconds  to make it five overall, but with Sealey missing an open goal, and Sol Pinnock chipping just wide of a gaping target, the scoreline might have ended with a more one-sided look to it, the U's only real threat continuing to come from Carey's set pieces.

With only League and County Cup distractions to look forward to in the coming weeks and months, United will simply have to rediscover their lost form in the league itself, in order to salvage something from a campaign that is becoming fast forgettable. The appointment of a new manager often leads to a revival of course, but if a new man is not installed before the weekend, the players are going to have lift themselves for a potentially vital clash against fellow strugglers and similarly leaderless Horsham at the Pilot Field.

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Hastings United (4-4-2)							Bedfont Town (4-4-2)
1 Lloyd Anderson							1 Gary Ross
2 Scott Manning							2 Tommy Brewer
3 Ross Sutton							3 Dan Carter
4 Lee Carey							4 Mark Gallagher
5 Sean Ray							5 Craig Vernon
6 Josh Jirbandey (c)							6 Jon-Barrie Bates
7 Jack Dixon							7 Tyron Sealey
8 Jamie Crellin							8 Tommy Williams (c)
9 Zac Attwood							9 Rishi Nankani
10 Jamal Fenelon							10 Sol Pinnock
11 Ben Billings							11 Wayne O'Sullivan
Substitutes
12 Ryan Thomson (for Dixon 74)							12 Dwain Williams (for Pinnock 89)
14 Scott West							14 Aaron Goode
15 Dan Bolwell							15 Matt O'Brien
16 Kenny Pogue  (for Fenelon 64)							16 Jordan Watson (for Nankani 72)
GK Matt Armstrong-Ford

Attendance: 160

Referee: Lee Venamore (Maidstone)

Assistants: Theo Parfitt (Heathfield) & Darren Eaton (Crowborough)