Hastings bad boy Duncan McArthur has been thrown out of the club by manager Steve Lovell.

The United boss has axed the 22-year-old after he refused to train with the rest of the team last week.

Lovell gave the former Albion professional one last chance to clean up his act after he was sent off for the seventh time in his four-year Hastings career against Folkestone last Tuesday.

But Lovell has lost patience and United have put the volatile midfielder on the transfer list because he still has a year left on his contract.

Lovell said: "He won't play for me again. I don't know what is going on behind the scenes but he won't be involved with me. He didn't train last week and he doesn't want to be at the club, so as far as I'm concerned the issue is closed."

A young Hastings side missed McArthur against a Hillians team enjoying life in the Dr Martens League.

The County League champions came from behind to snatch the points in their first ever Sussex eastern division derby to make it three wins out of four games this season.

United, with nine of the starting 11 under 20 years of age, took the lead six minutes after half time when former Hailsham striker Stephen Graham rose above a crowd of Burgess Hill defenders to head Ricky Spiller's free kick powerfully past Pat Gannon.

However, it was United's most experienced player Tony Burt who gifted the visitors an equaliser on 72 minutes. The 34-year-old miss-kicked an attempted back pass to his keeper Matt Brown and Nicky Sullivan stole in to lob home from the edge of the area.

Burt could do nothing about the winner which came eight minutes from time from last season's top scorer Steve Harper.

He skipped past the United captain after cleverly dropping his shoulder before toe-punting a shot from the edge of the box into the bottom right hand corner.

Hillians' celebrations were tainted by an earlier injury to youngster Lewis Johnson, who was taken to hospital after just 18 minutes with a suspected broken leg.

The game was delayed for almost 20 minutes as Johnson received treatment on the pitch before an ambulance arrived.

Burgess Hill manager Gary Croydon blamed the state of the Pilot Field pitch for Johnson's injury.

United re-laid the grass during the summer to improve drainage, but the work has left the surface looking like a patchwork quilt.

Croydon said: "The pitch was unplayable and the game shouldn't have taken place.

"I told the referee that before the game and I told him again afterwards.

"I thought it created problems with the challenges. It made the bounce of the ball unnatural and that makes it dangerous.

"It was a disgrace and now I have a young player with a broken leg. Of course I am pleased to have more points on the board, but I still do not think the game should have gone ahead."

Hastings: Brown, Penfold (sub Haffner 80), Eldridge, Burt, Startup, Henham, Spiller, Lovell, Honey, Sherwood (sub Hayhoe 50), Graham (sub Ellis 84). Unused subs: Sands, Lidster. Yellow card: Honey, Henham, Startup, Ellis.

Burgess Hill: Gannon, Killpartrick, Guile, Virgo, Andrews, Downey, Harper, Carter (sub Hurley 46), Day, Sullivan, Johnson (Geard 18). Unused subs: Venton, Wayne, Callaghan. Yellow card: Downey, Day.

Referee: Mr A. Cork (Newick).

Attendance: 330