2024 is over and a new year is upon us, we kick off 2025 by welcoming Hastings United to the Alcaline Stadium.

Admission is HALF PRICE for the fixture. Tickets have sold fast online and we advise all supporters to purchase in advance. You can get your tickets here.

Team News

Andy Drury should have a near full squad to select from on Wednesday with a number of players having returned from injuries over the past week.

Sam Blackman will be absent with an injury picked up against Dartford.

Defender Joel-Michael Odeniran has returned to Herne Bay on a month-long loan ahead of the new year.

From The Manager

Andy Drury spoke to our Head of Media ahead of the fixture: “We head into the New Year looking to continue the good form we have picked up since Christmas. We have taken 4 points from 2 games and have been left disappointed not to have taken 6 points which the performances deserved.

We will come up against a Hastings side that have struggled so far this season but we know how good they can be, especially with the attacking quality they possess.

I want to thank the fans for their support throughout 2024. They have backed the boys all the way, through good times and difficult times, and we hope to see a good number on the terraces on Wednesday to kick off the new year.”

The Opposition

Promoted to the Isthmian Premier Division as champions of the South East Division in 2022, Hastings United have finished 8th and 7th in the previous 2 campaigns. This season has been a tougher task, with the South coast side currently sat in the bottom 4 with 23 points from 22 games. Danny Bloor was appointed manager in the summer but has since departed, with former Ebbsfleet United manager Danny Searle taking the reins at the start of December.

Last 6

03/12 – Cray Valley PM (H) – Drew 1-1 (Won 5-4 on pens) (Velocity Cup)
07/12 – Chichester City (A) – Won 3-2
14/12 – Billericay Town (A) – Drew 1-1
21/12 – Bowers & Pitsea (H) – Lost 4-2
26/12 – Dover (H) – Lost 2-0
28/12 – Bognor Regis Town (A) – Won 1-0

Recent Meetings

Invicta won at The Pilot Field on August Bank Holiday Monday to end a 4-match run of defeats against Hastings. Having been sent off on debut 48 hours earlier, Amadou Kassaraté scored his first goal for the club before Dan Smith added a second after half time, Davide Rodari scoring from the penalty spot for the hosts.

Last 6

16/08/22 – Invicta 0-0 Hastings
07/02/23 – Hastings 2-1 Invicta
12/12/23 – Invicta 0-2 Hastings
26/12/23 – Invicta 0-5 Hastings
01/04/24 – Hastings 2-1 Invicta
26/08/24 – Hastings 1-2 Invicta

Key Man

Former Crawley Town forward Davide Rodari has 6 goals in 4 games against Invicta, opening the scoring in 3 of those fixtures. Swiss-born, raised in Italy and once on the books of Inter Milan, Rodari move to the south coast of England in 2016, joining Eastbourne Borough as a youth team player before stepping into senior football with Hastings. In 2021 EFL side Crawley Town secured his signature, but after loan spells with Worthing, Dorking Wanderers and Dartford, Hastings brought him back to The Pilot field in the summer of 2023. Davide finished as the Isthmian Premier Division’s top goalscorer last season with 28 and is currently on 15 from 30 this campaign.

Admission

Supporters can pay on the gate for this fixture or purchase online in advance from our online ticket shop.

• Adults (18-59): £12 £6
• Concession (60+, student, disabled, Blue Lights Card): £9 £4.50
• Young Adult (13-17): £6 £3
• Child (under 13): FREE

How To Follow

If you can make it to the match you can follow the action via our X (formerly Twitter) account. Alternatively, live score updates are available on Football Webpages.

Food & Drink

The Dugout Sports Bar will be open from 11:30am, with the Dugout Kitchen open for food. The Dugout accepts both cash & card.

Food and refreshments will also be available from the truck inside the stadium, located between The Dugout and the Folkestone Bowls Club building.

We have FOUR new fanzone bars around the ground serving draught beer, Guinness, water and soft drinks. 2 bars are adjacent to The Dugout, one beside the tea hut window and one beside the disability shelter. These bars are CARD ONLY.

The Dugout Sports Bar

The Dugout Sports Bar will be open showing all of the days live sport.

• 12:00 – PDC World Championship Quarter Finals
• 12:30 – EFL Football
• 15:00 – EFL Football
• 17:30 – Brentford v Arsenal
• 17:30 – Hull v Middlesborough
• 20:00 – Sunderland v Sheffield United