Isthmian League South East Division
Pilot Field, Hastings
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: None
Attendance: 400
For this midweek's action, I had the welcome change of having a free evening out, using my season ticket to take in this game, which was rearranged from a few weeks ago due to Hastings' progress in the FA Cup.
Hastings had not played in the league since beating VCD Athletic 2-1 at home 10 days ago, but they did win 3-0 at home against FC Romania in the FA Trophy. They came into this game in sixth place, following two wins and two draws from their opening four league games. After "finishing" last season second bottom in the table when the season was abandoned, they were in the same position in the table going into this game, following a win and three defeats in their opening four league games, although that win came in their last league game, winning 1-2 away at Ramsgate, and in their last game, on Saturday, they defeated Chipstead by the same scoreline away from home, in the FA Trophy.
Programmes are still not being issued at Hastings, but at least chairman Billy Wood gave an update, explaining that their previous printers had increased costs to the extent that printing would lose the club money, and were actively seeking cheaper quotes to resume issuing.
On a mild evening but with a stiff breeze at time, Hastings started the game on the front foot, and duly took the lead on ten minutes when, after Kenny Pogue's initial cross was blocked, chipped the ball to the back post for Ben Pope to head the ball home. But just as it was looking like Hastings would go on to take control of the game, they were reduced to ten men with just 16 minutes on the clock, when Ollie Black left his foot high as the ball came down, and perhaps helped by the loud squeal from the Three Bridges player who went down in apparent agony, he was shown a straight red card. With Black's eyes on the ball above and little if any intent to make contact with the man, it looked a very harsh red card. On 23 minutes, Three Bridges had a great chance to equalise, when a far post header from a cross was blocked at point blank range by Hastings keeper Louis Rogers. On 31 minutes, Three Bridges lost their numerical advantage when Brannon O'Neill was shown a second yellow card in quick succession for scything down a Hastings player running at full tilt down the wing. On 39 minutes, Sam Adams struck a free kick just past the post for the hosts, whilst two minutes before the interval, Three Bridges saw a drilled shot go just wide of the post with the keeper watching.
So an intriguing second half would surely follow a feisty first half with both sides a man down and all still to play for with just one goal the difference. After Hastings resumed the game on the front foot, coming close to doubling their lead on a couple of occasions, the game then settled down, with the visitors enjoying more possession without looking particularly dangerous with it. But on 68 minutes came the moment that probably took the game away from the visitors. Davide Rodari burst forward through the midfield, a fortunate deflection guided an intended pass back into his path, and as he ran into the penalty area, Steve Smith shoved him to the ground, conceding a penalty and earning a second yellow card followed by a red in the process. Pope drove the ball down the right of the goal, sending the keeper the wrong way. Hastings made absolutely sure of the three points on 82 minutes, when Dixon ran down to the left side of the penalty area before crossing the ball low across the goal, and Rodari tapped the ball home from a couple of yards. 3-0 was how it finished, and although Three Bridges played quite well in patches, they lacked a cutting edge and Hastings, who rose to second in the table after this victory could have won even more convincingly, and they did well after being reduced to ten men with 76 minutes of the game left to play.
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