Greg Nessling was Hastings’ hero with a second-half penalty save as Tony Dolby’s men made it successive away wins with a 2-1 victory at Cray Wanderers.
Keeper Nessling denied Michael Power, who blasted the rebound against the bar, after Rhys Whybourne had committed a professional foul on Leigh Bremner and been sent off.
Bremner got Cray back into the game with 16 minutes remaining after Ade Olorunda’s first-half double put the visitors in control. The striker headed home Jimmy Elford’s cross on 19 minutes before scrambling in a close-range second as Cray failed to deal with Lee Carey’s free kick.
Dolby said: “We were hanging on at the end yet in the first half we had played some excellent football and deserved to be 2-0 up.”
Bognor boss Darin Killpartrick is threatening changes after his side conceded an injury-time goal at home to Waltham Forest to lose 2-1, seconds after they had equalised.
Charlie Oatway came off the bench and looked like getting the reward for a spirited Rocks’ response when he headed in his side’s first goal of the season after they had trailed to Billy Holland’s 37th-minute effort.
Gaorge Chanda slipped a pass through a gap in the Rocks’ defence and Harry Elmes grabbed the winner leaving Killpartrick fuming.
He said: “The immaturity my team showed after we had equalised is not acceptable.”
Horsham paid for a woeful second-half performance as they lost 2-1 to Canvey Island at Gorings Mead.
Ben Andrews equalised in the first period after Richard Halle opened the scoring with a deflected free-kick.
Goalkeeper Rob Tolfrey’s excellence denied the visitors an even bigger win as they dominated the second period. He was eventually beaten 11 minutes from time by Craig Davidson’s penalty.
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