Our eight game unbeaten run was halted in comprehensive fashion as we fell to defeat on the Sussex coast, writes James Barrett.
Team news: Peter Adeniyi replaced the injured Sekou Kaba, while Rio Davidson-Phipps came in for Ricardo Panton whom dropped to the bench.
The travelling faithful might of been relieved before kick-off to see Hastings defender Steve Watt, the hat-trick scoring defender in the reverse fixture back in November, named only as a substitute.
 |
| Miller on the move |
The game remained goalless during the opening exchanges, thanks in the main to two good saves by Joe Tupper, but Hastings took the lead on 24 minutes as Frannie Collin, whom saw his first headed effort blocked, stabbed the loose ball home.
And that lead was doubled on the half hour as an unchallenged Harry Stannard eventually curled home a left-footed shot.
We struggled to get a foothold in the game, despite entering it off the back of six straight wins, and disappointingly finished the first-half without testing home keeper Lenny Pidgeley.
HALF-TIME: 2 - 0
We were grateful to both Tupper and the linesman's flag for denying Hastings a third as our hosts kept up their onslaught after the break, but a third goal did arrive when Jack Evans powered home an impressive volley following a corner kick delivery.
And they added a fourth just four minutes later, via another corner kick, as defender Jerome Sobers rose highest to power home a header.
Ryan Healy and Josh Phillips were thrown on as the clock ticked down and we enjoyed our best attacking spell of the game during the last 15 minutes, but Tommy Bradford fired wide from a good position and both Jordan Hibbert and Mickel Miller were denied by Pidgeley.
 |
| Cutting in: Rio Davidson-Phipps |
That was our heaviest league defeat of the season and, while we remain currently third in the league table, we have now played two more games then most of the clubs around us.
More photos from the game are available here.
Next up: We travel to South Park on Saturday 25th February before Greenwich Borough arrive at ours on Saturday 4th March.
Carshalton Athletic: Tupper; Price, Morath-Gibbs, Hamilton-Downes (c), Davidson-Phipps; Gondoh (Healy - 70), Adeniyi, Hibbert, Miller; Bradford, Folkes (Phillips - 77)
Unused subs: Debayo, Kozakis, Panton
Booked: Healy
Hastings United: Pidgeley, Akoto, Crutwell, Evans (Watt - 87), Sobers, Rowe, Bodkin, Johnson (Harris - 76), Stannard, Collin, Stevenson (Hughes-Mason - 70)
Unused subs: Emptage, Nicholls
Goals: Collin (24), Stannard (30), Evans (67), Sobers (71), Hughes-Mason (86)
Booked: Evans
Attendance: 320