Hastings and Common target third straight league wins

Action from Hastings United's 3-0 win at home to Molesey on Saturday. Picture courtesy Scott White

Hastings will travel to South Park in Bostik League Division One South and Common are away to Hailsham Town in Macron Store Southern Combination League Division One.

Hastings will be aiming to build on their impressive performances in Saturday’s 3-0 win at home to Molesey and the previous weekend’s 4-2 victory away to Thamesmead Town.

Chris Agutter’s side currently lies ninth in the table and a victory tonight would take Hastings up to the 50-point mark - the same figure as eighth-placed Hythe Town.

But it certainly won’t be easy. South Park - the only team Hastings have yet to face in the league this season - are four places and five points behind them with five games in hand.

“It will be a tough game,” said Agutter. “I see South Park as a similar test to Thamesmead. They will be a handful and the pitch won’t be The Pilot Field. We’ll have to roll our sleeves up, show a bit of fight, grind a result out and let our football do the rest.

“I think they’re a dangerous side. I think they’re similar to Hythe in that they’ve got dangerous individuals.

“We’ll go there being very respectful of what they can do and appreciate the threat they carry, but we know what we need to do to go up there and get a result.”

Little Common, meanwhile, will have the chance to go seven points clear at the top of the table if they can get the better of 11th-placed Hailsham.

Common have won their last three matches in all competitions, the latest of which was a 4-1 success at home to Selsey on Saturday, when goalkeeper Matt Cruttwell was among the scorers.

Hailsham ended a run of four successive losses with a remarkable 7-4 win away to Southwick at the weekend and are likely to give Common a far sterner test than in August’s reverse fixture, when Common eased to a 3-0 victory.

Common have won 20 of their 24 league fixtures to date and their tally of 81 league goals is the 10th highest of any club at step six level in the country.

Hastings’ game will kick-off at 7.45pm and Common’s at 7.30pm.