Hastings United match report
match report by Rupert Cane
How fitting, then, that Kingstonian, the team of the Royal Borough, from a town where seven former Kings of England were coronated, should play Hastings, 1066 and all that, in the first fixture after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Alas, Kingstonian’s performance was not befitting of a King, new or otherwise. Even by the standards of what has been an unmemorable start to the season - and factoring in this writer’s day on the Harvey’s at Hove and then Hastings - there is almost nothing to write about Hastings United 1 Kingstonian 0 on Tuesday 13 September 2022.
The solitary goal arrived on the stroke of half-time. Joe Gbode strode onto a loose ball inside the box only to be scythed down by Declan Skura, who played for the ball but was a split second too late. Gbode approached his spot-kick at walking pace, appropriate considering the tempo of the contest, and stroked his shot into the bottom left-hand corner.
Skura had by this point already made a significant positive contribution, acrobatically clearing Gbode’s shot off the line after Mac Chisholm had superbly denied Sam Adams. Those were the best two chances created in open play all night.
In the first half, Kingstonian won a couple of corners. In the second, we managed a couple of shots, one with 10 minutes left from Kieron Cadogan comfortably held, another with the last kick flashed not far wide by sub Fumnaya Shomotun.
Otherwise, it was all pretty insipid. Hastings were by no means magnificent, but comfortably kept us at arm’s length. Getting goals out of this team, especially ones not scored from range or set-pieces, must be Lee O’Leary’s biggest task right now.
Hastings United: Louis Rogers, Craig Stone, Tom Chalmers, Jack Dixon, Sam Adams, Sam Hasler, Alex Brefo, Kane Penn, Joe Gbode, Knory Scott, Jake Elliott.
Subs: Ryan Worrall (for Sam Adams, 80m), Finn O'Mara, Gil Carvalho (for Knory Scott, 75m), Ben Pope (for Joe Gbode, 80m), James Hull.
Kingstonian: Mac Chisholm, Dwight Pascal, Declan Skura, Jack Strange, Tobi Ogundega, Tyrese Owen, Kwesi Ntim, Kenny Beaney, Kieron Cadogan, Gabriel Ajuchi, Louis Collins.
Subs: Sean Bonnett-Johnson, Thomas Gogo, Corey Parchment (for Louis Collins, 75m), Ben Ward-Cochrane (for Tobi Ogundega, 58m), Fumnaya Shomotun (for Gabriel Ajuchi, 76m).
Goal scorer: Joe Gbode (44m pen, 1-0)
Attendance: 786
