Love letter to…Hastings United
On the pilgrimage down the steep hill of Elphinstone Road, views of the sea conjure up childhood memories of holidays at the seaside, laden with sugared doughnuts and 2p machines. That sense of childlike wonder is reignited everytime a new ground is in sight, which is only intensified by the gorgeous iron arch that greets you to the Pilot Field. Clack clack of the reassuringly loud turnstiles, and familiar faces being warmly greeted. The leafy surroundings, both intimate and grandiose, set down in the hills of Sussex. The vibrant greens of the trees and grass, juxtaposed with the deep red and rusted metal of the looming and majestic mainstand. Stern in the face of adversity, weather, time, but welcoming fans young and old, who avoid sitting in the bird droppings whilst breathing in the antique scent. This is Hastings United FC.
The history of this club is complex, but in the 80s, Hastings United folded due to bankruptcy, Hastings Town took their place in the league and the ground, until 2002, when Town were renamed back to…Hastings United. The Pilot Field has also had a long history, with the glorious main stand opened in the 1920s, for a princely sum of £8000, and has even held a season of Speedway, which explains the curves around the pitch. Today, the home side find themselves in the Isthmian Premier, with today’s opponents being Concord Rangers.
Just before kick off a fan takes his place with a portable radio sporting a comically long aerial, who knows what that is tuned into, but the anachronistic resistance to technology is fitting. A bit of last minute forking from the ground staff and we are off. Drums, chanting and sunshine, a perfect bank holiday fixture.
Number 8 for the home side, Dom Vose, who has had spells in Iceland and Gibraltar, is the conductor, playing like a bald Andrea Pirlo, with defence splitting passes early on. He is the most dangerous player on the pitch, seems to be an extra second just for him. But, it’s chaos in the box and Hastings’ number 9, Femi Akinwande is the first to react and slots it home. An older couple, in the VIP section, have brought their own cushions, a heartwarming vision, clearly have been coming for years and no doubt sit in the same seats. During the celebrations, the PA announces to the owner of the white Vauxhall, your car is rolling down Elphinstone Road, non league football at its finest. The Sussex Jack Grealish, number 7, Davide Rodari, makes it 2-0 with a tapped in finish and celebrates down the camera lens, as the Battle of Hastings may be over already.
The second half and the post chips lull kicks in, the game is played at a much more leisurely pace, as the fans enjoy the sunshine, and Hastings keep control. The home side suddenly kick into a higher gear, with their number 10 dazzling the Concord defence and tees up Rodari for his second, Hastings third, and chants of we want four as Concord are left without their wings. The seagulls floating above, seemingly watching the game and acting the ultras with their frenzied avian chanting.
Pace, power and skill made for a complete performance on the pitch. Off the pitch, new owners in place, but no new stadium in sight, as the council declares the planned move as “unviable”. Dean White, part of the new ownership, states one of the aims is so “our community can have access to facilities that it deserves, as well as a hardworking and inclusive Football Club it can be proud of.”
In front of the Steve Smith stand, housing the most vociferous support, drapes a flag, ‘Long live the Pilot Field’. If Hastings move next year,, or in 10 years, the Pilot Field, this most storied of grounds, will live long in the memories of the people that matter; the 843 people here today are just a small portion of those. The old couple who have been coming here since they were young, the children attending their first game, everyone who steps through those iron turnstiles.
