Saturday, November 19, 2011

The honeymoon period appears to have ended for United under new boss Sean Ray, the injured player/manager being sent from the dugout in the second half, as the U's suffered back to back home league defeats for the first time this season.

Similar to last weekend's loss to Cray Wanderers, this was a game in which United certainly had their moments, but in Martin Tuohy and Lewis Smith, the visiting AFC Hornchurch had the more clinical strike force, and the U's were made to pay for individual errors at both ends of the pitch.

Damaged foot ligaments are set to give Ray a purely watching brief for around three weeks, with Scott Manning deputising alongside skipper Josh Jirbandey. The manager will perhaps have to learn quickly the art of keeping his emotions in check on the evidence of this afternoon's dismissal for comments aimed at the officials in the wake of the Urchins' decisive third goal in the seventy-first minute.

To be fair though, Ray, and United in general, had cause to contest the questionable award of a throw to Hornchurch right in front of the home bench, which led directly to Jonathan Hunt's sublime chip over the out of position Lloyd Anderson in the seventy-first minute.

It effectively ended the game as a contest, yet the U's did attempt a late fightback, after Zac Attwood curled home an excellent free kick with four minutes remaining, and but for an outstanding reaction stop by Hornchurch keeper Joe Woolley moments later, Jamie Crellin would have set up a frantic finale.

The damage had long since been done in a sixty second period midway through the first half however, the visitors scoring twice in next to no time, following an opening quarter in which United had been pretty dominant. Jirbandey should have headed the hosts in front from Ryan Thomson's inviting cross within eight minutes, but in common with Attwood and Kenny Pogue a short while later, the central defender failed to serious test Woolley.

At the other end, the lively Les Thompson created a decent opportunity for Smith, which he dragged tamely wide, but it was United who were firmly in the ascendancy and threatening to press home their superiority, when Jack Dixon conceded possession cheaply inside his own half, and after a wonderfully slick exchange of passes, Frankie Curley laid the opening goal of the game on a plate for the highly impressive Tuohy.

Giving the ball away straight from the kick off, United immediately found themselves in trouble once again, and Tuohy's left wing cross presented Smith with a free header to double the Urchins' lead. Pogue couldn't quite convert Attwood's deep centre, as the U's sought to get back into the game, but their best efforts were repeatedly thwarted. Manning's shot was deflected narrowly wide and Lee Carey's stinging drive was fumbled just past an upright by Woolley. And even after their late consolation and Crellin's near miss, Crellin again and Dixon saw goalbound efforts repelled by defenders.

If United had the better of the first half, although obviously not reflected by the scoreline, there is no doubt that Hornchurch bossed the second. Smith wasted an early opportunity, before starting a scintillating right wing move that ended with Tuohy's volley being well saved by Anderson. The U's keeper then denied Smith, but was left stranded when Hunt's exquisite finish all but sealed the win.

Ray's charges now embark on a run of four away games on the trot, beginning with a visit to Canvey Island on Tuesday evening, never a particularly happy hunting ground for the U's. This wouldn't be a bad time to put that right.

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Hastings United (4-3-3)							AFC Hornchurch (4-4-2)
1 Lloyd Anderson							1 Joe Woolley
2 Jack Dixon							2 Rickie Hayles (c)
3 Ross Sutton							3 Joe Anderson
4 Jamie Crellin							4 Ronnie Fletcher
5 Scott Manning							5 Reiss Noel
6 Josh Jirbandey (c)							6 Simon Glover
7 Zac Attwood							7 Les Thompson
8 Lee Carey							8 Frankie Curley
9 Kenny Pogue							9 Martin Tuohy
10 Ryan Thomson							10 Lewis Smith
11 Jordan Woodley							11 Jonathan Hunt
Substitutes
12 Dan Bolwell							12 Tambeson Eyong (for Thompson 80)
14 Matt Whitehead (for Thomson 57)							14 Tommy Black
15 Joe Barham (for Pogue 57)							15 Aaron Gayle (for Smith 75)
16 Scott Ellis							16 Andy Tomlinson (for Tuohy 77)
GK Matt Armstrong-Ford

Attendance: 399

Referee: Graeme Ions (Westerham)

Assistants: Richard Joss (Margate) & Nicholas Harnett (Ramsgate)