The season is now very much in the final stretch. We now have a much clearer picture of the relegation places, and the title has been taken by Hornchurch, but the playoff places are still well and truly up for grabs with at least 7 clubs in with a shout for the 4 places. And so Tuesday night is one of the biggest matches of the season for the Blues, as they face Hastings United, with both teams being in that 7-team group battling for the final 4 places. Hastings are 7 points behind the Blues but with a game in hand meaning the result in this game could really alter the final outcome.
Our Opponents
Hastings United find themselves in 7th place in the league after finishing in eighth last season. Their league form has been fairly consistent throughout this season aside from a tough spell in the Autumn which saw the Us drop from 4th to 14th place and previous manager Paul Barnes departed, seeing the return of the current man in the dugout, former manager Chris Agutter. Since that point, Hastings have recovered and have remained firmly within the top half of the table. The recent form for Hastings has been very good with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeats in the last 6. This form is identical to that of the Blues in the last 6 games, making tomorrow even more of an exciting prospect.
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Did you know?
The majority shareholding of the club was purchased by a local consortium led by former club captain and manager, Dean White during 2023.
Head To Head
Back in October our visit to Pilot Field was a successful one thanks to an excellent Elliot Long hat-trick in the space of 6 minutes either side of the interval. Hastings threatened to mount a comeback with two goals before the hour mark but the Blues held on to take all 3 points in East Sussex, this match turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for Paul Barnes in charge of the Us. Our last clash at the Maurice Rebak Stadium was in October 2022, in what coincidentally turned out to be Marc Weatherstone’s last game in charge, a 4-0 defeat on that occasion.
Last Time Out
Hastings are coming into Tuesday's game on the back of 3 wins in a row; most recently a Davide Rodari penalty being enough to take all 3 points at Bognor Regis. Prior to this, they had a narrow 2-1 win over Folkestone and a 5-0 thumping of now relegated Haringey Borough.
Our last 3 results have also been 3 victories, beating champions Hornchurch (2-1), local neighbours Potters Bar Town (3-1) and most recently a 2-0 away win at Concord Rangers. These results have seen the Blues maintain their 4th place position in the face of some stern challenges from all those around them.
Players To Watch
Hastings can count striker Davide Rodari amongst their forward options. The 24-year old came to prominence at Hastings in his first spell as a talented prospect, before making a big step up to sign for League Two side Crawley Town. From there he had various loan spells including at National League Dorking Wanderers before returning to Hastings in the summer. He has 31 goals to his name already this season in all competitions, currently only Marcus Wyllie of Enfield Town has more league goals than his haul of 25.
Eagle-eyed Blues fans may also spot an ex-Wingate player in the Hastings ranks, with Ansu Janneh lining up in the Hastings midfield (we think - his number 9 shirt suggests otherwise!) Janneh played 6 games for the Blues last season on loan from Dagenham and Redbridge, scoring 1 goal.
For the Blues, Ruben Carvalho has 3 in his last 2 as he breathes down Elliot Long's neck in the Blues top goalscorer charts. Meanwhile, Loic Hernandez made a return on Saturday from the bench and may well be in contention on Tuesday night.
Adult and concession tickets can be purchased on the gate and under 18s go FREE. Cash and card is accepted throughout the Maurice Rebak Stadium. We need your support in this crucial clash so come down and back the Blues!
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison.