Hastings United F.C. (1948–85)
| Full name | Hastings United Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The U's |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Dissolved | 1985 |
| Ground | The Pilot Field, Hastings |
| League | Southern League |
Hastings United Football Club was an English football club based in Hastings, East Sussex. They were formed in 1948, playing in the Southern League through to 1985 when they folded due to financial problems.
Within weeks of being founded the club were in a battle with local club Hastings & St. Leonards Amateurs for use of the lower pitch at the Pilot Field (The pitch now used by the current Hastings United). the proposal of ground sharing was considered, but was quickly dismissed as impractical.
United initially offered £600 rent, whilst the Amateurs offered £300, the same amount they had paid the previous season. Hastings Borough Council granted use of the lower pitch to United for £750 a year. On August 6, 1948, it was announced that Councillor Frank Oak had been appointed full-time secretary-manager of Hastings United, whilst George Steel, another councillor became the clubs first Chairman. United's début game was against another newly formed club Tonbridge, at the Angel ground on August 21, United won the game 2–1.
By the time Tresadern took over, the club had won one game in 21 league matches and had just lost 7–0 to Kettering. In Tresadern's first game in charge United won 3–0 at the Pilot Field, against sixth-placed Yeovil Town. However the club were already in a cash crisis, having to rely on donations from supporters to pay the players and travel to away games.
The 1953/54 saw United reach the third round of the FA Cup, beating Shoreham, Horsham, Eastbourne, Ashford and Hounslow in the preliminary rounds, before beating Guildford City 1–0 in the first round proper. December 12, 1953 saw Swindon Town from the Football League Third Division South visit the Pilot Field, in which a record crowd of 9917 saw United win 4–1, the first time Swindon had lost to a non-league side since World War Two. The third round saw United face Norwich City at the Pilot Field in front of 12,727, a record that still stands, the game ended 3–3. The replay at Carrow Road saw Hastings lose 3–0.
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