Poor half, terrible goals – but Hastings United learn their Brightlingsea lesson

United were 2-0 down at the break against the second-from-bottom hosts but two goals from Kane Penn and a late Jack Dixon winner earned a 3-2 win.

Had they lost, the Us would have been 13th in the Isthmian premier table – but the three points lifted them up to seventh, just four points off the play-off zone. Now they head into two games in three days – at home to Enfield tomorrow then away to Aveley on Monday – with Elphick urging them to keep up the momentum they found to see off Brightlingsea.

"It was certainly a game of two halves,” said the manager about the Essex trip.

"A bit of complacency seeped in. I think we thought we were going to roll up and have it easy and we conceded a couple of terrible goals.

"At half-time we tweaked some personnel and in a nice way I let them know their first half wasn’t great.

"We got one back on 49 minutes and had the momentum from that point – and we could have ended up winning by more.

"It’s a lesson to learn. You can’t go anywhere in this league and go through the motions.”