Hayes & Yeading's unhappy Easter continued at Kingfield this afternoon as visitors Havant & Waterlooville inflicted a second 4-1 defeat on Tony O'Driscoll's side in the space of 72 hours, following Saturday's defeat in Essex.

With 'keeper Brandon Hall having a prior engagement, it meant a debut for young Aldershot Town loanee Milan Stojsavljevic in the United goal. Also returning to the starting line-up were fit again Daniel Wishart and Julian Owusu-Bekoe up front and Sam Corcoran in midfield.

With a strong wind in their favour, it was the visitors who had the first effort on goal in the 13th minute when Ollie Palmer knocked the ball down to Sahr Kabba 18 yards out, the Hawks striker forcing an early save at the foot of his post by Stojsavljevic.

Soon after United pushed on towards the Hawks goal with Wishart and Luke Williams combining to set up a shooting chance for John Goddard but he was wide the target from 20 yards out.

In the 20th minute United were caught in possession by Kabba just outside our own area, the ball running loose to the League's top scorer Ollie Palmer but his chip over Stojsavljevic caught on the wind and drifted over the United goal and then just two minutes later a Christian Nanetti free-kick was met by Dan Strugnell but his flicked header was just wide of the target.

Not for the first time in the half referee Mr Holderness angered the United bench when Kabba clearly backed into his marker only to be awarded a free-kick some 25 yards from goal. The ball was rolled to Steven Ramsey whose shot took a wicked deflection off a United player and despite Stojsavljevic reversing his dive to get a hand to the ball he could not keep it out and the Hawks had the lead.

Ten minutes from the break the visitors created the only other opening of the half when a Nanetti corner was met at the near post by Palmer but his header came back off Owusu-Bekoe and was cleared to safety.

United came out in search of an equaliser after the break, having a good spell of 15 minutes with openings being created but not taken. Wishart flicked the ball through to Corcoran who rushed his shot and sliced the ball wide, before Williams exchanged passes with Cox with the former almost firing wide of former United keeper Clark Masters goal.

In the 55th minute United went as close as they had in the game when Wishart collected a pass in the left channel and broke between two defenders before firing over Masters only for his effort to come back into play off the face of the crossbar before being played to safety by the Hawks defence.

Seconds later Wishart was again close to an equaliser, this time his controlled volley going just wide of the upright. Just after the hour mark however it all went wrong for United when an error by the young inexperienced Stojsavljevic saw him do well to collect a deep cross only to let the ball slip from his grasp as he hit the ground and Palmer ever the poacher was on hand to net from an acute angle.

Stojsavljevic was to make amends nine minutes later though when Palmer outpaced Tom Cadmore and shot from an angle, the United stopper doing well to deny him at the foot of his post. Within sixty seconds an error from the experienced Masters at the other end let United back in the game. His kicked clearance going straight to Williams who controlled the ball and tucked it past Masters desperate dive.

Sadly though, as with 48 hours previous, this was not the catalyst for a comeback as a third was conceeded soon after. Once again United were caught in possession in their own half and when the ball was played through to Palmer the result was somewhat inevitable as he slid home past the defenceless Stojsavljevic.

United earned a penalty and another lifeline two minutes later when substitute Tom Collins was dragged down by the shirt in the box, Collins himself stepped up and smashed the ball straight at Masters who kept his sides' two goal lead intact.

The final ten minutes saw chances continue to come at both ends, Palmer crossed to Kelvin Bossman for the Hawks but his first time volley was inches wide while at the other end a cross from the right fell to Collins who fired over from eight yards out.

The final nail in United's coffin came three minutes into stoppage time when Bossman collected the ball on halfway as a United attack had broken down, he slid the ball across to Palmer who duly cemented his hat-trick against the unprotected Stojsavljevic in the United goal.

Report by Kevin Watts.


Photos by Ray Peploe.


United Man of the Match: Mark Bentley.


Print the Teamsheet: Here.