Hastings United's 'patience' rewarded in Whitstable Town win

Ollie Rowe’s header put the Oystermen in front, four minutes after half-time but two penalties converted by Ben Pope ensured Hastings returned to the Isthmian South East summit.

Agutter said: “I was delighted. We showed good character and good composure.

"We felt that, if we kept plugging away, the chances would come, and they did. It was a really decent result and an even better performance.”

The U’s boss hailed a controlled performance. He continued: “Our performance was better on Saturday than it was in the two previous wins against Sittingbourne and Burgess Hill.

“We had more control over Whitstable than in the other games. We had more possession and I don’t think the scoreline reflects how good the performance was, especially under the circumstances.”

With news of title rivals Ashford United losing to VCD Athletic, Agutter hailed his players for keeping focused on the job in hand.

He added: “Because everyone knew that Ashford were dropping points, that came across to the players.

"Going a goal down was obviously a challenge but we showed good discipline, and really good patience.

"We kept knocking at the door and eventually we got our just rewards.”

Agutter was also impressed with goalscorer Ben Pope. He said: “He’s a great target for us to play off of and he deserves his goals.

“Another outstanding performance was from Lanre Azeez. He was frighteningly good and played exceptionally well.”