Six-win run ends with a jolt

After six successive league and cup wins, an out-of-sorts United side was frankly outclassed by an impressive Hailsham unit.

Joint manager Andy Laskey said: "I think Hailsham are the best side we've played this year, but I would also say we perhaps put in collectively and individually one of our worst performances of the season."

While Sidley obviously didn't play well, they weren't allowed to by a Hailsham team which went third in Sussex Division One on the back of this stunning result.

The visitors, who knocked Sidley out of the Sussex Senior Cup last month, looked threatening whenever they poured forward and unleashed an incredible 29 shots during the 90 minutes.

When they didn't have the ball, their non-stop work rate and disciplined defensive organisation often harried Sidley into giving it back to them far too easily.

Dave Ward shaved the outside of a post for United early on, but it wasn't long before Hailsham hit the front in the first league game at Gullivers this season.

The completely unmarked Simon Stevens prodded home at the second attempt from the first in a series of dangerous set-piece deliveries by Nick Barden.

Scott French made it 2-0 in first half stoppage time, ghosting past Lee Wood and Owen Ball before picking out the corner of the net at the end of a magnificent 40 yard run.

Danny Leach headed a gilt-edged chance just wide and struck the angle of post and bar with a rasping strike prior to driving in Peter Cooper's square pass in the 74th minute.

Leach bagged his second six minutes later by shooting home from the edge of the box and completed his hat-trick in stoppage time having been played in by Stuart Lewis.

To rub salt into Sidley's wounds, Adam Day was rightly sent-off for pushing his head into that of Steve Monk within four minutes of making his comeback from injury as a substitute. Monk was booked for the awful tackle which prompted the frenzied reaction.

Laskey added: "I think we had too many people who played below the standard they've set for the last few games and we couldn't hold on to the ball or string any passes together."

Sidley: Saunders, Witham (Day), Ball, Whiteman, L. Wood, Willard, Ward (Miles), O'Callaghan, J. Wood (Brown), Baker, S. Morris. Subs not used: Temple, Newstead.