Last minute woe for the Lilywhites

The opening few minutes suggested City had picked up where they left off on Saturday. After taking a few minutes to settle an unchanged home side were again one up inside seven minutes, and again it was Darren Collins who scored the opener. A Tim Wooding clearance found Adam Wilde on the edge of the centre circle. The City winger did well to bring the ball under control and showing great vision played a lofted pass over the Hastings central defenders and into the path of Collins whose precisely placed chip cleared the advancing Dave King and nestled into the bottom left hand corner of the net.

Despite this early strike, City were never able to mount the kind of sustained pressure that had reaped such rich rewards at the weekend. Hastings dug in and the game was evenly contested.

After ten minutes referee James produced the first yellow card of the evening cautioning Stuart Myall presumably for dissent. Both player and official would have much more significant roles to play in the final outcome of this game.

Martin Davies was called into action on 11 minutes gathering a Steve Yates effort which came about as a result of a well delivered Danny Simmonds free kick. City broke back immediately. Wilde played Wardley in down the left hand side and his fierce shot was palmed behind by King.

The game was becoming fiercely contested in midfield and as such scoring opportunities were at a premium. On 16 minutes a surging run by the impressive Nick Hegley ended with his cross cum shot sailing narrowly over the bar.

Another Simmonds free kick on 20 minutes, this time swung in from the left saw Davies fail to gather cleanly under extreme pressure. Darren Collins back defending cleared from the goal line but the danger wasn’t finally averted until Davies saved low to his left from Chris Honey.

Soon afterwards Adie Hayes and Steve Yates joined Myall in the referee’s notebook following an off the ball clash.

It was Hastings again who carved out the next significant chance, Landry Kahana-oni showing good strength to create space for a shot but in the end Davies saved comfortably.

Paul Ruddy felled Rob Nightingale just after the half hour mark and was predictably booked.

Neither side produced any more meaningful chances before the break. Collins was well marshalled by Tommy Osbourne and Tony Burt and neither Matt Clements nor Adam Wilde were allowed the freedom they enjoyed on Saturday.

City made a more inventive start to the second half. Immediately after the break Wilde fed Hayes on the left, his lofted ball into the box dropping just the wrong side of the right hand upright with Clements closing in.

Five minutes later Hastings were level. The visitors broke swiftly down the left and Hegley pulled back an angled cross that was always going away from Davies. The City ‘keeper came well out of his ground but couldn’t collect. The ball span loose to Simmonds who fired in low from the right hand side of the box.

In the wake of the goal a frustrated Tim Wooding challenged Kahana-oni from behind and was carded.

Following their goal, Hastings sat back for a few minutes and City enjoyed a decent spell of possession. On 53 minutes Nightingale combined with Wilde. The winger coming into centre field to collect the ball with his back to goal. Showing good strength he span off his marker and sped towards the visitors box, spotting King slightly off his line Wilde unleashed a fierce left foot drive which cleared the ‘keeper but crashed off the bar. A minute later Wooding’s arrowed clearance found Collins in the inside left channel. The striker delivered a decent cross but King collected well, above the head of Clements.

On the hour mark Hegley again made good ground down the left and delivered a dangerous cross to the far post which was bravely intercepted by Wardley who appeared to pick up an upper-body injury in the process which required lengthy treatment. Hastings kept the pressure on and in the following minutes Simmonds fired just wide and Honey forced Davies to scoop the ball around the post at full stretch.

David Batch introduced Scott Houghton for Matt Clements (who had been well contained by Hegley) with 25 minutes to go. The new man’s first significant contribution was to combine with Wooding who fed Wilde on the edge of the box, again with his back to goal. The wide man showed great technique to send an over-head kick dipping just under the bar only for the athletic King to tip the ball over.

The game was now very much end to end with both teams looking for a decisive second goal. On 75 minutes Hegley who delivered a number of quality crosses throughout the match picked out Honey but his header was caught cleanly by Davies. A minute later and Davies was again called into action. With Wardley down injured Hastings advanced into the space left by his absence. The Welsh keeper got down bravely at the feet of Honey to save. An injured Wardley was subsequently helped off to be replaced by Richard Skelly.

Hastings looked a good bet to score at this stage. A long throw from the right found it’s way through a mass of bodies to Kahana-oni who was unmarked on the six yard box. The striker however somehow managed to lash the ball wide of the target with his left foot.

City turned up the heat in the final 10 minutes as they went all out for a winner. Wilde combined with Houghton turned his man and surged into the box. Wilde went down under challenge but the referee turned down vociferous penalty appeals. Wilde was booked in the aftermath.

With six minutes left Kevin Wilkin replaced Darren Collins who despite another battling display got little change from his markers. It was all City now. Wilde fed Rob Nightingale on the edge of the box but his well placed shot was smothered by the alert King.

With time running out Wilson and Hayes played a neat one-two on the edge of the box which presented the latter with a decent shooting chance but leaning back the former King’s Lynn man fired over. Wilde was proving too hot for the Hastings defenders to handle, with two minutes to go he burst through again from the left and fired in a cracking drive which an arching King tipped over.

With the game slipping into stoppage time City were camped in the Hastings box. Wilde weaved along the by-line and slid the ball into the advancing Houghton but from point blank range King blocked the ball with his feet.

With something like 92 minutes on the clock Rob Nightingale was challenged in midfield, Che Wilson went in strongly for the loose ball, which he appeared to win cleanly, however referee James pulled him up and to the dismay of the baying City fans awarded the visitors a free kick. Seeing their chance Hastings piled bodies forward, the ball was floated in and through a sea of legs a shot angled towards the corner of the City net. Martin Davies, at full stretch, got behind the ball but it squirmed out of his hands at the feet of the delighted Myall who fired home to give the visitors all three points.

This hugely disappointing and controversial end to the game should not be allowed to mask the fact that City again put in a good, professional, committed team performance. They have played worse on occasions this season and collected all three points and whilst another home defeat is of course a set back it shouldn’t detract from the considerable improvements over the past two games.