Kentish Express Ashford & District
United punished by three-goal Davies
Ashford slipped to another home defeat on Saturday with former Leatherhead striker Callum Davies bagging a hat-trick for Hastings at Homelands.
The visitors and particularly Davies, punished costly mistakes by the hosts in this Bostik South clash.
The Nuts & Bolts had chances to take the lead but Andrew Dalhouse and Ira Jackson were guilty of poor first touches with only the keeper to beat.
The impressive Max Watters produced a great run to tee up Dalhouse but he somehow got in a muddle and poked the ball well wide.
There has definitely been a deadball malaise which has struck Ashford this season and United were again guilty of not making the visitors pay when given the opportunity, with the returning Jackson wasteful with a free-kick which cleared the crossbar.
The restless home fans were bemused as to why Tommy Cooney wasn’t the one in charge of the dead ball situations throughout another 90 minutes of frustration.
United were then made to rue missed chances when debutant Kwabena Osei dwelled too long the ball, allowing Davies to curl the ball into the top left-hand corner five minutes before half-time.
Hastings almost doubled the lead before the break as a free-kick from Rhys Whyborne picked out Dayshonne Golding who headed just wide.
In the second-half, Hastings’ Ansu Janneh worked home keeper Aaron Lee-Wharton, before Sam Cruttwell curled a shot just inches wide.
United were then undone by what looked like a harmless punt down the middle but with Lee-Wharton having advanced too far from his box, it allowed Davies to find the net with ease after 69 minutes.
Ashford, to this point, had offered little going forward in the second half and when Frazer Walker set up substitute Jon Difford, he scooped the ball narrowly wide.
The hosts got a lifeline when Dalhouse held off all challenges to slide the ball into the path of substitute Matt Day who bundled the ball home to halve the deficit 10 minutes from time.
But all the hard work to get back into the contest was undone, when the visitors capitalised on a poor corner kick from Jackson.
A swift counter-attack enabled Davies to complete his treble with an astute finish in the 85th minute.
Ashford: Lee-Wharton, Walker (Woodcock 86mins), Cooney, Fitchett, Osei, Kingwell, Watters (Day 62mins), Davisson (Difford 75mins), Dalhouse, Bingham, Jackson. Subs not used: Williams, Healey. Attendance: 368. Match details courtesy of Kevin Hall