Hastings have the title in their sights

Hastings United looked as if they might be facing a potential banana skin when Three Bridges arrived at Pilot Field yesterday. Bridges were six matches unbeaten, including victories over United’s promotion rivals Cray Valley PM, Haywards Heath Town and Ashford United, and certainly weren’t travelling to the seaside nursing an inferiority complex- but in the end it didn’t matter, as our champions-elect remained in total control of their own destiny with a two-nil win. The goals both came early, Ben Pope’s header on five minutes and a goal from Finn O’Mara on twenty putting the hosts in charge in front of a crowd of one thousand, four hundred and sixteen. That turned out to be that- although Hastings did miss a spot kick- and with only one of the four sides directly below them winning the gap between United and the rest got even bigger.

Ashford United, in second place, could only draw at Sittingbourne. The Brickies went ahead early, Toby Bancroft scoring after eight minutes, but when Adem Ramadan equalised with twenty five minutes left the away support must have hoped for more. They didn’t get it, and had to be content with a point.

Ramsgate would have loved to have taken a point. Our third place side lost for the second time this week, this time at Whitehawk, who are finally moving away from the bottom three. The Rams went ahead eleven minutes after the break, Tijan Jadama opening the scoring, but the Hawks hit back almost immediately when their talisman Javaun Splatt got his sixteenth of the season, and with seventeen minutes remaining Ashley Wadhams, on from the bench, scored for the second match in succession to lift his side to thirteenth.

The Rams stay third, but only on goal difference as Cray Valley PM won our match of the day at Haywards Heath Town by the odd goal in five to move up to fourth, getting the latest of late winners. It looked like three points were a formality when Marcel Barrington and Anthony Edgar put the Millers two up as we approached the end of the first half, but Oliver Allen got one back just before the break and Tom Cadman equalised immediately after it. Heath failed from the spot eight minutes from time, and into the last minute we went with no further goals, before Matthew A-Warren popped up with a late winner. Heath drop to fifth.

Image from the always-fabulous Kyle Hemsley.

Herne Bay were also in Sussex, and what a trip they had, moving to within a point of the top five- with a game in hand- by hammering Lancing six-one. Rory Smith opened the scoring on thirteen minutes, and then we had the Zak Ansah show, the striker scoring three goals in twenty four minutes just before and after the break to make it four-nil. Modou Jammeh got one back with sixteen minutes remaining, but any hopes the Lancers had of a more respectable scoreline were dashed when Brad Schafer and Smith once more made it five and six in the last ten minutes.

With a nine point gap between Bay and the best of the rest it looks as if the race for the play off’s will not include anyone not currently in the top six. Sittingbourne are seventh, and Corinthian up to eighth, their fine debut season continuing in similar fashion after they won three-nil at Faversham Town. All the goals came before the break; indeed they came in sixteen minutes midway through the first half, Jack Mahoney, Oscar Housego and Lekan Majoyegbe leaving the Lilywhites waving the surrender flag. With only seven points from their last eleven matches Town will be looking nervously over their shoulders.

Burgess Hill Town’s play off aspirations also look to be over as they lost a five goal thriller against East Grinstead Town. The Wasps ended a run of five straight defeats and got their first win in eight, and they did so with a late winner from Andrew Briggs, his second goal of the afternoon coming very late indeed. Daniel Uchechi had given the home crowd something to cheer after only six minutes as he put his side ahead, but the Hillians equalised just after the hour through Lewis Taylor, and after Briggs put the Wasps ahead once more Dan Cadman cancelled it out six minutes from time, before Briggs late show moved his side above Lancing in the fight to avoid relegation.

VCD Athletic, starting the day in ninth, travelled to Sevenoaks Town, who remain third from bottom but look to be in the best form of any of the sides fighting for relegation and have given themselves a real chance of survival. Vickers went ahead on fourteen minutes through Youssef Bamba, but that was as good as it got for the visitors as Freddie Parker hit back with two before the break, and Brad Ryan and another Bamba, Yahaya, made it three and four after the restart.

Phoenix Sports, buoyed by their win at Ashford United and having only lost two of their last seven, found themselves hit by a hammer blow as they welcomed Chichester City. Their visitors may have had nothing to play for but pride, but they had plenty of that, hitting four goals without reply. Josh Clack and Kaleem Haitham got the first two in the nine minutes before the break, Clack got another on sixty four minutes- his fourth in five matches- and Callum Overton got number four, four minutes from time.
Sports now have a four point gap between themselves and Sevenoaks Town, but for Whitstable Town that gap is seven points, after they fell to their latest defeat- this one against Hythe Town. The Cannons aren’t out of trouble themselves but did themselves a power of good with this victory. George Crimmen gave them the lead on sixty seven minutes, and after Tom Mills was sent off for the hosts the visitors took immediate advantage, getting a second- Jordan Sarfo sealing the points.

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