Chapman Brace Fires Hastings to Second Pre-Season Win
Hastings United continued their promising pre-season campaign with a 2–1 victory over Whitehawk on Tuesday night, thanks to two stunning strikes from winger Fin Chapman.
Barry and Legg stand over a free kick in the first half. Photo by Ryan Aird
Following a 2–0 win away at Horsham YMCA on Saturday (July 12), where manager Lee Carey made use of a large squad in sweltering conditions, this time he opted for a more streamlined group. With several first-team players unavailable due to an Under-23s fixture clash, fringe players were handed the opportunity to impress ahead of the new campaign.
Hastings started on the front foot, controlling possession and confidently switching play from flank to flank. The first meaningful chance came from a low-driven free-kick by Brad Barry, which forced Whitehawk goalkeeper Bailey Vose into a sharp save down to his right.
It wasn't long before The U's opened the scoring. Chapman brought down a superb diagonal ball from Freddie Legg, cut inside, and bent a magnificent strike into the top corner from range — a moment of real quality.
The game slowed slightly as both sides settled, with a more cautious, possession-based approach emerging. Whitehawk had a golden chance to level just before the break when Oscar Borg found space in the area, but he fired over from close range.
The second half began in near-identical fashion to the first, as Chapman struck again within minutes of the restart. After breaking down the left, he found space and curled another brilliant finish past the goalkeeper — almost a mirror image of his opener — to double Hastings' lead.
From there, Hastings had to contend with strong winds that disrupted their rhythm and made build-up play more difficult. Despite the challenging conditions, the visitors remained largely untroubled at the back, with the hosts offering little in terms of attacking threat.
Lubanga plays a neat pass backwards for Dan Hull. Photo by Ryan Aird
Fin Holter made a comfortable save on the hour mark to deny Nathan Cooper's header from a corner. At the other end, Chapman nearly completed his hat-trick with a glancing header that forced Vose into another strong stop.
Whitehawk did pull a goal back midway through the half. A quick break down the left saw Charlie Lambert square it to Iffy Allen, who calmly slotted home into the bottom corner to make it 2–1.
The Hawks pushed forward in search of an equaliser but never truly tested Holter in the Hastings goal. The final stages of the game were punctuated by a string of fouls and small stoppages — very much reflective of a typical pre-season finish.
However, Hastings held firm to secure a second win from two and continue building positive momentum ahead of the new season.