Having been reduced to 10 men a minute after going a goal down is not normally how to get anything out of a cup fixture but Herne Bay put in a battling second half performance rewarded by an equaliser two minutes from time. In truth, they could have won it.

“What I said to them at half-time was we had a decision to make”, said Herne Bay manager Sam Denly, “we’ve got to either give it up, go and lose the game three or four nil or roll the sleeves up and have a go, and second half we were fantastic, I thought we deserved to go on and win the game”.

There could be no doubt that the Arrows started the game the brighter. Billy Medlock headed wide in the 8^th minute with the goal at his mercy and 3 minutes before Hastings took the lead Hollobone fired into the side netting. The opening goal was coming for the visitors and it duly did when, in the 24^th minute, Sam Cole crashed home via the inside of an upright from the left hand edge of the penalty area.

Then came that moment of madness 60 seconds later. Inexplicably, Bay’s Sam Hasler swung an arm out in a midfield challenge against the much travelled Billy Medlock and rightly received an instant red card from referee Gary Maskell who had an exceptionally good game in the middle. The incident seemed to affect Hastings more than Herne Bay. The former, perhaps sensing the game won, the latter, determined to shrug the incident off and get something out of the tie. Indeed, they might have equalised six minutes before the break when Ita burst through but for the intervention of Vickers who stole the ball from the speedy winger’s foot just as he was about to pull the trigger.

After the break, the casual observer could have been forgiven for erroneously thinking that Hastings were the team a man short and struggling. Herne Bay created chance after chance, forcing the Arrows into long spells of defence. Ten minutes after the restart, the hard working Mark Lovell sent a looping header crashing against the underside of the crossbar, the ball bouncing away to safety. The introduction of Elliot Cutts just after the hour mark served to increase the pressure on Hastings’ beleaguered rear-guard. First, he let fly from distance and his effort flashed past Pelling’s left hand post, then his next effort forced a reflex save out of the ‘keeper.

With the clock ticking down, Herne Bay got the break their play deserved. Kane Phillip at first evaded the attentions of both Rowe and Temba before the latter tripped him just inside the box to give Bay the lifeline of a penalty. Just two minutes of normal time remained when Danny Walder calmly stroked the ball from 12 yards placing his spot kick to Pelling’s left. It was no more than the home side deserved.

“Hastings surprised me today, they seemed very direct, just wanting to get the ball up front to Jack Harris for him to win knockdowns”, said Denly, “second half, we got the ball down, we started playing. We played good football, we were sharper, getting in and around them, getting wide, and for me, it was a complete performance second half”.

 

Herne Bay: Jack Delo, Georgio Russo (Kane Phillip 74), Gary Sayer, Dan Johnson, Nathan Eastwood (Elliot Cutts 61), Connor Sanders, Danny Walder, Sam Hasler, Mark Lovell, Danny Williams, Steven Ita (Joe Nelder 61).

Subs not used: Dan Parkinson, Kane Butler, Michael Turner, James Turner.

Sent Off: Sam Hasler     Cautioned: Mark Lovell

 

Hastings United: Josh Pelling, Sam Crabb, Sam Cruttwell (Alfie Hall 80), Ollie Rowe, Sean Ray, Tom Vickers (Bright Temba 70), Sam Adams, Max Hollobone, Billy Medlock, Jack Harris, Sam Cole.

Subs not used: Zac Attwood, Tyrell Richardson-Brown, Harvey Hanifan, Stephen Okoh, Dan Rose.

Sent Off: None  Cautioned: Sam Crabb, Tom Vickers, Sam Adams.

 

Referee:  Gary Maskell  Assistant Referees: Richard Butcher & Paul Greenfield.

Man of the Match: Mark Lovell (Herne Bay)

 

Herne Bay (0) 1

Danny Walder (pen) 88

 

Hastings United (1) 1

Sam Cole 24

 

Attendance: 274

 

Emirates FA Cup 2^nd Round Qualifying

Saturday 26^th September 2015.

(at The Altira Park Stadium)

 

Photo credit: Steve Barton – Danny Walder scores from the spot