After a Good Friday win over Lewes, Invicta make the trip to Sussex coast to visit Hastings United 

Invicta

Friday’s win over Lewes made it 4 wins in 5 for Invicta, leaving Andy Drury’s side 4th in the form guide with only Enfield Town having taken more points over the past 6 games. 

It also leaves Invicta going into Monday’s match as close to the playoffs as the bottom 4, 16 points behind Horsham and 16 points ahead of Margate. 

While any thoughts of relegation may have been eased some weeks ago, a win for Invicta or defeat for Margate would mathematically secure Invicta’s place in the Isthmian Premier Division for next season.

Ups & Downs

Cray Wanderers, Canvey Island and Whitehawk could all also secure their safety on Monday. Like Inivcta, a win would be enough for Cray and Whitehawk while Canvey would also need Margate to drop points to be certain, although their goal difference is vastly superior. 

Kingstonian, who travel to Chatham Town, will be relegated should they fail to match Cheshunt’s result as they travel to Enfield Town.

Hornchurch meanwhile can secure the Isthmian Premier Division title and promotion to the National League South with a win at Canvey Island, having missed out on doing so on Saturday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to playoff chasing Wingate & Finchley. 

From The Manager

Manager Andy Drury spoke on Sunday:

“This is a tough weekend and we are delighted to have started it with 3 points, but the teams we are facing will be saying the same about us at the moment. We are 4 wins out of 5 and high up the form table, putting in performances and getting results and teams that need the points probably won’t want to face us right now. 

We are going into a run of fixtures against sides all looking to reach the playoffs. That is where we want to be, so these games are going to help show us where we are ahead of the summer. We showed on Friday that the hard work is paying off and we beat a good side in front of our fans, we want to keep showing them that we are heading in the right direction.”

Kit

Invicta will line up in black & amber, with Hastings United playing in their maroon home kit.  

Previously

The sides have met 4 times since Hastings were promoted to the Isthmian Premier Division in the summer of 2022, with Invicta managing just a solitary point, Hastings taking 2 wins and a draw in the league plus a Velocity Cup win. 

2 of those meetings came earlier this season, both at the Alcaline Stadium in December, Invicta beat 2-0 and 5-0. 

When the sides last met in Sussex Invicta lead early but fell to a 2-1 defeat, Louis Collins scoring for Hastings shortly before making the move to Invicta. 

The Opposition

Hastings United will still be harbouring ambition of reaching the playoffs and bolstered those with a 5-0 win on Good Friday away to Haringey Borough. 

They currently sit 5 points off the top 5 with 7 games to play, and have games in hand on most sides above them. A trip to 4th place Wingate & Finchley and a home fixture with 3rd place Enfield Town could prove crucial in a busy April that kicks off with our visit on Monday. 

The Venue

Travel

Always check rail times/strike action before you travel. 

The rail journey to Hastings takes a little over an hour with services departing once an hour, changing at Ashford International. 

Ore station is closer to Pilot Field than Hastings, so will provide a quicker route back to Kent after the match (or a more direct route to the ground for those not wishing to head into Hastings for refreshments before kick off)

Admission  

You can buy tickets online in advance

Adults	£12
Concession (Over 65, Blue Lights Card)	£8
Under 16	FREE