Hastings United won’t give up on play-off dream until the maths defeats them

That’s manager Gary Elphick’s assessment of Hastings United’s bid to gatecrash the Isthmian premier play-offs – even if their chances of making them were hit ny Monday’s 0-0 draw with Horsham.

With three to play, United need to win their games and hope Enfield and Cray Wanderers slip up to allow them to sneak into fifth spot in the final table.

It’s unlikely – but not impossible.

Elphick said: “As long as it’s mathematically possible we will be doing all we can to make it happen, I can promise fans that.

"Normally if you take four points out of six from two games in three days you’d be delighted, but we were a little flat after it finished 0-0 on Monday.”

The goalless draw did neither Hastings nor Horsham any favours in their respective play-off bids and Elphick admitted neither team made the opposition goalie work very hard.

That was in stark contrast to Saturday, when goals in the final 30 minutes by Davie Smith, Ben Pope and Sam Adams clinched a 4-1 win at Potters Bar after the hosts had cancelled out an own goal that put United ahead just after the interval.

Elphick said: “We’ve only lost two of the past 16 games, which is very good form. But we’ve had a few draws in there and it does look like we might fall just short of the top five.

"On Saturday it was a difficult pitch – tight and very bobbly – so we went more direct and that paid dividends.

"That gave us 11 goals in three games but we just couldn’t find one more on Monday against Horsham.

"That game looked like two tired teams with no cutting edge. Having lost 4-1 to us a week earlier they came back and stifled us.”

Elphick should have a full squad to choose from as they begin the final week of the season at home to Bognor on Saturday, when he exepcts a tougher test than the Rocks’ bottom-half position suggests.

"I have a lot of respect for their management team of Robbie Blake and Jamie Howell and they will give us a hard game,” he said.

Billericay – who Elphick rates as one of the best sides the Us have faced this season – visit the Pilot Field on Tuesday night.