Hastings 5-1 Molesey

The Moles came into the game not yet mathematically safe from relegation, although it would require a major capitulation along with spectacular revival from those teams below them to end up in the bottom three.

Indeed it was the hosts who were in far greater need of the points as realistically they are in a four way shootout for the fourth and final playoff position.

Their destiny remains in their own hands after this convincing victory. They also gained a measure of revenge after Molesey’s thrilling 5-4 victory in the reverse fixture back in December.

It was a mixed bag of a performance from the Moles. There was nothing to choose between the sides for the first half hour, before three goals in five minutes effectively ended the game as a contest.

Ex Marlow midfieder Kunle Otudeko became the latest debutant, and he was arguably Molesey’s most influential player during those opening thirty minutes but faded as the game wore on.

The Moles can justifiably point to two poor refereeing decisions that led directly to two Hastings goals, although any sense of injustice loses credibility given that individual errors led to three.

Molesey more than held their own during the opening stages, with Otudeko and Ronald Sobowale wriggling out of challenges and finding themselves in promising positions, but the final ball was lacking.

Ashley Lodge had the ball in the Hastings net after good work by Josh Andrews, but had used his hand to do so and picked up a booking in the process.

There was a heart in the mouth moment when Liam Allen came out of his goal to cut out a through ball and lost his footing. He just about recovered to claw the ball away from Frannie Collin who would otherwise have had a tap in.

From the resulting corner Tom Windsor cleared off the line.

Hastings were slowly beginning to turn the screw, and opened the scoring when Shomari Barnwell exchanged passes with Collin and slotted beyond Allen.

Two minutes later they doubled the lead, and it came from a rare error from Allen, who allowed a cross to squirm through his grasp. Barnwell really couldn’t miss. He didn’t.

It got worse straight from kick off, as Craig Lewington’s underhit pass presented Collin with an opportunity to run at Andrews.

After cutting inside, Collin blasted the ball at Dre Grobler from two yards away and the ref judged it to be handball. It was incredibly harsh, particularly given that an almost identical scenario in the second half in the Hastings box was deemed not worthy of the same punishment.

Collin made no mistake from the spot.

You got the sense that Molesey did not believe they could get anything from the game and heads visibly dropped.

Allen denied Collin and Barnwell headed just wide as the visitors looked not just to put the game to bed but improve their goal difference, which could prove crucial in the weeks ahead.

Goal number four arrived on the hour, and once more there was a helping hand from the official when Matt Bodkin looked to have bundled over Ashby Charles, but the ref opted to give Hastings rather than Molesey the free kick.

Still, there can be no excuse for allowing Ollie Rowe a free header from the set piece, which he expertly glanced beyond Allen.

Charles got the goal his energetic performance deserved when he got the better of Sam Cruttwell and slotted beyond Lenny Pidgeley to reduce the deficit, and for a few minutes afterwards it was the Moles doing the running.

Lodge and Joe Nwoko brought fairly routine saves out of Pidgeley, and Windsor fired wide, but the final word went to Hastings sub Harry Stannard, who shot beyond Allen in the closing stages.

It was a disappointing day, but with survival now all but confirmed after the weekend’s results it’s now virtually ‘job done’ in the grander scheme of things.