Simmo goes to Eastbourne

It's not easy to be objective about these things. It pisses one off big time to see a player who's been with us seven years or so, 300 odd games, one of our most versatile guys - leaving United for the posh surrounds of Priory Lane.

That's no criticism of Danny. Players move on - that's a fact of life - but Simmo put in a lot of time and effort in a Hastings shirt and the unpalatable fact is that we shall probably lose more players. It really rubs it in, though, that he's gone to Eastbourne who are already doing what we utterly failed to do a year ago - and strengthen for that big leap up to Premier Division football. We sat on our hands, got carried away with a good start but - BUT - having financed the arrival of various players in our promotion campaign, did nothing to cement our Premier place till it it was too bloody late.

It's bad enough that they are taking our place - it's bad enough that they have a ground that shows up our place and Hastings Borough Council for what they are - but to start taking our best players is probably the final straw. Can't get any worse than that can it? Yes - it will if the likes of Messrs Playford and King end up over there as well. While you have to keep it all in perspective and recall the Summer of 99 - this is still turning into a bleak close season.

ELEVEN APPLICANTS FOR MANAGER

Whether these people who've applied know what the budget is I don't know - but at least some of the limbo like situation will be sorted when an appointment is made. Should hear late next week, hopefully.

ANYONE GOT £100,000?

Apparently that's what Mick Maplesden wants for his shares - and, surprise, surprise - the hoped for deal that was being put together last week has fallen through according to Friday's Observer. Something to do with the lease on the mainstand.

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WELCOME BACK "LOVERS"

At last a step in the right direction with the great news that United's new manager is old favourite from six or seven seasons ago - Steve Lovell - who's goals kept Hastings Town up in 1994/95.

Lovers was at The Pilot Field for a couple of seasons and made a big impression on everyone on and off the pitch. He went to Sittingbourne when the manager's job came up for grabs and if I recall correctly he got them promoted with next to no money. He's been at Gillingham recently - coaching their U17 side as well as being their football in the community officer.

Welcome back Steve.

SS

HALF THE SIDE GONE - WHAT WILL LOVERS HAVE LEFT TO WORK WITH?

I suppose you accept it as inevitable that relegation results in a team being broken up - and sure enough we have lost at least half the squad - if not more. On the Friday ClubCall update the great news that Eastbourne have now snaffled three of our players - Simmonds, Playford and - the latest - Steve Yates. Also the boost to moral that Dave King has signed for Hendon and that Adam Flanagan is training with Folkestone for who Nick Hegley signed some weeks ago. Tommy Osborne's status is a mystery at the moment - Dartford reckon he's signed for them - but Tommy says he hasn't signed anything yet. Landry's gone back to France and presumably the likes of Bevis and Suleymanoglu won't be around next season either.

There were rumours that Flanners might either pack in the game altogether or sign for Hornchurch which is right on his doorstep - and having just been promoted to the Ryman Premier, Hornchurch would find Flanners a highly useful signing. But if he ends up signing for Folkestone who's money problems are well known then that will surely be a self inflicted blow.

Whatever - the situation at present is that of our defence, only Tony Burt remains - and that's by no means 100% confirmed as rumours have been doing the rounds that he might be going to Rye & Iden United.

Going back to Eastbourne - I have no problems with Garry Wilson whatsoever and I was pleased for him as an individual that they were promoted. Garry's a good guy, thoroughly affable and a gent - and was shat on from a height when Mark Gardiner's gut instinct sacked him back in January 98. But losing players to our local rivals who are doing what we didn't when we went up - strengthen - and seeing our squad get decimated as a result is bloody hard to take. Yet again - self inflicted.

What is hard to understand is how we are losing so many players when back in the summer of 99 (when you would've expected them all to go given the club's parlous situation) we managed to kick off that August with a far stronger squad than Steve Lovell's going to have in 6 or 7 weeks. Most of them stayed then - and that would have been on reduced wages surely - so what's happening this time around that's different? Perhaps the limbo like three week period while we waited for Lovers to be appointed contributed to it - and the club ownership business didn't help either. Interestingly gone very quiet in the Observer so far as Mick Maplesden's shares are concerned - and his efforts to sell them. Realistically - just what can a majority shareholding in a semi pro football club be worth?

RESTRUCTURING 04/05

The new set up's in place for the season after next. North and South Division's of the Conference (feeding into the Conference top division) will take the best 44/46 clubs from the existing three Premier Divisions - which means that 44/46 places will be up for grabs for clubs at the level we will be playing at next season. Those 44/46 clubs will be allocated places in the three Premier Divisions which will still exist but will play football of a lower standard than the Premier Divisions as we currently know them. That drop in standard is inevitable as the best clubs will have gone into the new Conference North and South set up. Presumably the promotion and relegation will be based on three clubs down from Conference South and Conference North (each) and two up (each) from the three Premier Divisions.

United will, therefore, have to put in a decent performance next season if they are to get one of those 44/46 places. I presume clubs from the DM Eastern and Western divisions, Ryman Div 1 North and Div 1 South and Unibond 1 will be after those places - what's that, 110 clubs? The standard will be somewhere between DM Eastern and DM Premier as we know it.

The worrying thing is - if United don't get one of those places they will end up at a standard not much better than the County Bumpkinship League. It might be called Ryman Div 1 South (we could well end up the Ryman) or DM Eastern- - but the standard will have dropped as a result of all this change around.

Can you see United doing enough to get a Premier place in 04/05? I hope I'm talking bollocks - but even allowing for the positive aspects of getting a manager like Steve Lovell in - it really does look as if we're going to be kicking off 03/04 on a prayer. Can you see us getting a top eight place come next May?

WEBSITE UPDATE

"Bollocks to football" is the collective view of your website administrators - that's, er, Karl and me. We've had a break from it throughout June - hence the lack of any news tec etc. It is hugely time consuming and we both agreed to to steer clear and get back into it come July - which is imminent.

That means a lot of work to update and enhance - most of it for Karl who does the techno stuff. Also work to be done to reflect our smooth return to the delights of the Eastern Division. Not to worry - all these things will be done in due course.

Watch this space.

WHILE ON THE SUBJECT

of bollocks to football - my eyes were glued to the TV screen as England's Rugby Union squad won three massive games in New Zealand and Australia. Our overpaid, under achieving and over rated England footballers could learn a lesson or two from their Rugby counterparts who went into three hugely physical encounters and won the lot with no need to resort to Prima Donna tactics. Well done boys. Just confirms that our best football team is the one with funny shaped balls.

MIKE COLE - R.I.P

Very sad to hear of Mike's death recently. He was heavily involved on the supporter's committee side and gave a lot of time and effort to the football club. Up till not many years ago he lived in Havant but a 170 odd mile round trip for home games never put Mike off - and dedication like that showed up the countless indifferent locals who can't be bothered. You're missed, Mike.

Mike Cole presenting award to King Dave

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CUP DRAWS ETC

One of the joys of our immediate relegation is having to kick off in the early rounds again of the FA Cup and Trophy. The draws were out in Sunday's NLP - and here they are.

FA CUP
Preliminary 30 August
HUFC vs BRACKNELL TOWN (Ryman 1 S)

1st Qualifying Round 13 September
HUFC or BRACKNELL vs SLADE GREEN (Kent League) or Hartley Wintney (Combined Counties)

FA TROPHY
Preliminary 4 October
HUFC vs YEADING (Ryman 1N)

1st Round 1 November
DULWICH HAMLET (Ryman 1S) or CHESHUNT (Ryman 1N)vs HUFC or YEADING

It's only Dulwich Hamlet that we've come across in recent years. Played them twice at their place - once in the FA Cup and once in the Trophy if memory serves me correctly - and we lost both of em by the same score, 1-2. Yeading beat our old mates from 11 - 12 years ago, Hythe Town, in the FA Vase semi final - might even have been the season (89/90 or was it 90/91) that Hythe knocked us out at their place in a late stages replay - remember Dean White's edge of the box equaliser?

Prize money for clubs entering the FA Cup at the early stages has - as forecast - been cut.

PLAYERS

Of last season's squad, Tony Burt, Stuart Myall, Duncan McArthur and Chris Honey turned up for training on Thursday night. Paul Ruddy should have been there but, er, wasn't. Tommy O has now apparently signed for Dartford and let's hope that's the end of the exodus. Good to know that Burty was at training the other night - those four who did turn up will form the core of Steve Lovell's new look HUFC squad that kicks of 03/04 on August 16th. Lots of new faces are inevitable - indeed, they are essential! Lovers did a lot at Sittingbourne with hardly any money a few years ago - it's good to know someone with his expertise is in charge as we regroup after the horrors of 02/03.

COMPUTERS - DONCHA LOVE EM?

Just wasted plenty of time staring at a frozen screen as AOOL (America Occasionally On Line) went walkabouts - ended up rebooting (nearly with a size 14 shoe) and duly found out I'd lost the bloody lot and had to start all over again. All this to look forward to with the new season just over a month away. Joy.

SS

Opening league fixtures

For those of you who haven't seen Friday's Observer - it contained the coming season's fixtures and we kick off at home to Corby - or McCorby as we know them due to the high Jock population of that part of Northamptonshire. The Pilot Field turnstiles will take a bashing with away support likely to approach double figures - perhaps.

The following Tuesday we quickly re-acquaint ourselves with Nick Hegley as we take on Folkestone at Cheriton Road and that's followed by a visit on the 23rd of August to our old mates at Sittingbourne who will doubtless be quick to welcome us back to the Eastern Division.

And that leads nicely onto the Bank Holiday Monday with the visit of the newly promoted Burgess Hillbillies.

Full fixture list will appear in due course - but there's the opening four games for your perusal.

SS