6 points away from home inside 4 days would feel impressive in any situation. But the 2-0 win for Wingate & Finchley away at Hastings, following so quickly on the heels of a 2-1 win away at Horsham just has a little bit more sparkle than usual.
The main reason for that is the manner of each win, and how different they were. Saturday’s trip to the 4G pitch in Horsham that saw the Hornets try their quick-closing, expansive game. The Blues held firm, patiently biding their time, and striking with the opportunities they were given to take the win.
Tuesday’s win at Hastings, in complete contrast, came on a cold night where they were punched in the mouth by their hosts. Long throws and corners were flung into the penalty area, and Hastings tussled and harried with all the desperation you would expect from a side grappling to pick up any points they can in a bid to secure safety.
But in both cases, the Blues adapted well and took home the spoils. On this Tuesday, they headed, tackled, intercepted, and fought their way through the game, particularly a second half that could have got away from them. Leading 1-0 thanks to Zack Newton’s nice finish in the first half, the hosts were buoyed by the crowd, piling forward and using any opportunity to put the ball into the Blues’ area.
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: the backline were resolute and imperious, clearing the danger and restricting the hosts to efforts from outside the area that were easy for ex-Hastings keeper Charlie Grainger to handle. It was also notable how Bello and Alexandrou were dropping in and pulling their weight defensively, while also posing a real threat on the counter in the vast amount of space that was given to them.
Even when there 11 men behind the ball, that threat was still evident, and it paid off in injury time at the end of the second half, as the Blues got the ball forward, where Ryan Lowe whipped a ball into the area that Ore Bello could fire home on the volley and secure the win.
So 2-0 it finished, and you would say it was probably a fair reflection on the game that, despite the possession of the home side, only really looked like going one way once Newton had given the Blues the lead.
The win takes us up to 9th in the league, and we now have a run of 5 games against top of the table opponents, starting with the visit of Hashtag on Saturday.
We’ll see you there!
Wingate & Finchley: Grainger; Keller (Garrett-Douglas 90’); Byron; Cracknell; Frempah; Watt (Iontton 83’); Bello (Restrepo 90’); Lowe; Newton; Drakes-Thomas; Alexandrou (Obi 74’)
Unused Subs: Emovon
Attendance: 528
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison. Match report by Chris Cummings
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