Hastings United 3 Three Bridges 2

Maxime Agnoly forced Lenny Pidgeley to make a good low save to tip the ball away for a corner, but after 26 minutes the visitors were caught napping as good work by influential skipper Simon Johnson culminated in a tap-in for Hughes-Mason.

And similar poor defending led to a 38th minute second for Hastings as Frannie Collin found himself unmarked six yards out with Thorp helpless to prevent a doubling of the score.

A double substitution at half-time brought late arrivals Hakeem Adelakun and Kieran Allen-Djilali into the action for Bridges, and both made a significant contribution to a much more compact second half display.

But they were still forced to do things the hard way when Collin turned and wrong footed Thorp for an almost slow motion third goal for the home side after 51 minutes.

Steve Sargent tested Pidgeley from distance before supplying a corner after 65 minutes which Drew Cooney stabbed home.

Hastings now looked shaky and needed Pidgeley to show his class with a brilliant tip over from Adelakun’s free-kick.

But Pidgeley turned villain after 80 minutes when he collided with Tony Garrod and the referee awarded a penalty which Adelakun lashed into the net.

It was now very much game-on and Bridges felt aggrieved when Allen-Djilali was deemed to be offside when he looked to have timed his run to perfection.

But there was still a golden chance of an equaliser for Garrod as he raced clear from the half-way line with Hastings now down to ten man with a late injury to substitute Richard Davies.

Garrod looked set to score but Pidgeley spread himself well to make a vital save just as the referee took the game into six minutes of additional time

Bridges: Thorp, Pierre, Whitehead, Wilson, (Adelakun 46), Cooney, Lansdale, Fender, (Toussaint 74), Sargent, Garrod, Cook (Allen-Djilali 46), Agnoly

Unused sub: Howard-Bold

Attendance: 240

Aerotron Man of the Match: Drew Cooney

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