Yesterday afternoon saw AS Eastbourne put in an impressive team performance to edge out a determined Hastings United side to lift the Sussex C P Mason Cup (Under-14s) at Culver Road.

Goals from Luke Harney-Rogerson an George Wells bookended a tense game, with clear cut chances few and far between, but in the end, Eastbourne were able to hold firm to lift the trophy.

The opener came from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Harney-Rogerson played a one-two on the edge of the box before he was brought down by goalkeeper Alfie Jones as he was about to roll the ball into the empty net. 

Harney-Rogerson picked himself up and smashed the penalty into the top corner with Jones unmoved. 

Hastings failed to register a single shot on target in the first-half but were much improved in the second and looked the more likely of both teams until the counter-attack which led to Wells putting the game to bed.

Their best chance of the game fell to Sonny Tyrell in the 41st minute after a cross from Elijah Shute reached him inside the six-yard box but he couldn’t keep his effort below the crossbar on the stretch. 

AS Eastbourne started well and registered the first shot of the match in the seventh minute when Wells pulled back to Junior Moyo who swivelled and got a left-footed shot away, but Jones made a fine save. 

AS Eastbourne were unlucky not to be ahead shortly after with Harney-Rogerson’s effort from inside the area crashing against the underside of the crossbar before falling back to him, with his header creeping agonisingly wide of the post from the follow-up.

Hastings United’s best effort in the first-half came with their first shot, with Zeb Clarke’s piledriver from 25-yards-out grazing the top of the crossbar. 

Their only other real chance of note saw Ben Bryan released on the right, but he dragged his shot harmlessly wide of Max Collins in the AS Eastbourne goal. 

Hastings, however, started the second-half strongly and created several chances within the first ten minutes of the restart. 

Collins was first called into action in the 36th minute, parrying a shot from the edge of the box from Tyrell which led to a goal-mouth scramble, and fortunately for Collins Eastbourne had enough bodies in the box to crowd out any efforts and clear. 

After Tyrell had again gone close, he played in Shute on the left, but his effort was straight at Collins. 

The 58th minute saw a fantastic effort from Gabriella Storey. Her curler from outside the area looked destined for the top corner, had an outstretched Jones not managed to tip around the post.

AS Eastbourne managed to limit Hastings to half chances for the remainder of the 70 but survived a late scare in added time. 

Shute clipped a free-kick that he won to the back post, and the initial header was won by substitute Liam Brady before Ollie Jones’s headed effort was well held by the solid Collins. 

That left just enough time for Wells to go down the other end to kill Eastbourne’s hope, receiving the ball just inside the attacking half and running at the tiring defence before rounding the keeper and slotting home with his left foot to make it 2-0, leading to jubilant celebrations.

After the full-time whistle Anthony Storey, the AS Eastbourne manager, said: “I thought we did really well in the first-half and in the second we had to dig in and do the ugly side of the game to get across the line.” 

On Wells’ goal, he added: “It was a relief finally managing to put the game to bed, but that is what he’s been doing all season and he didn’t have many chances today but he took it when it mattered!”

(Video highlights are available above and on YouTube - courtesy of Your Instant Replay)

(A selection of photographs can be found on Facebook - courtesy of Simon Roe Photography)

Stats (Hastings United-AS Eastbourne): Goals (0-3), Shots (8-8), Shots on Target (4-5), Corners (4-4), Fouls (10-6), Offsides (1-0), Yellow Cards (0-0), Red Cards (0-0).

Hastings United: Jones (GK), Corrigan, Banfield, Spiers, Bryan, Tyrell, Jones (C), Parkin, Shute, Perry, Clarke.
Subs: Ryan, Nason, Brady, Njie, Gunn.

AS Eastbourne: Collins (GK), Moyo, Richardson, Lapworth, Nones (C), Storey, Harney-Rogerson, Wells, Harding, Tomas, Stewart.
Subs: Shilling, Nones, Bingham, Taylor-Beale.