Hayes & Yeading had the worst possible start to their fourth game in eight days when the team bus got a puncture on the motorway and delayed their arrival at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday.

Manager Garry Haylock now without the suspended Scott Fitzgerald and still without the injured Steve Basham put his trust in attack in youth team striker Daniel Wishart while Dale Binns returned to the side after injury.

It was to be Wishart who almost made an immediate impact when he latched onto a Danny Allen-Page pass before seeing his shot deflected wide of the upright. From the resultant deep corner by Adam Green, Ed Harris rose highest at the far post and headed back across keeper Simon Brown only for his effort to hit the post and go wide of the goal before being cleared.

These early chances for the visitors seemed to bring the home side to life as they started to dominate possession. Danny Crow had a shot on the turn deflected away from goal by Ram Marwa before the same player was put through on goal by Scott Neilson but Clark Masters saved diving to his right.

The opener for the U's was only five minutes away though. Simon Russell played in a free-kick from the left that Rory McAuley met at the far post, his header going across the goal and into the far corner just out of the reach of Masters grasp.

Crow should have got his name on the scoresheet minutes later when Russell broke into the area on the left, his shot was blocked by Masters and Crow looked certain to slide it home but under pressure from Matt Ruby he scooped the ball over from three yards.

The impressive Crow was not to be denied though as he latched onto a Marriott throughball and fired the ball across Masters, the ball hit the upright but came back across goal to where Crow happily fired into the empty net.

All the pressure was still coming from the U's. Russell's corner fell to Josh Coulson but the defender blasted over from twelve yards before skipper Paul Carden went close to finding the top corner with a fierce drive from 25 yards.

The U's came out with purpose again in the second half and Masters was soon into the action as he went full stretch to push away a Russell effort from just outside the area.

Hayes & Yeading also appeared to have more purpose as well and ten minutes into the half Wishart picked off a loose pass from the back and advanced to the edge of the area before shooting for the far corner, sadly for the visitors the ball was just out of the reach of the on-coming Dale Binns and agonisingly wide of the target.

With just under a quarter of the game left Masters did well to block a Russell effort at point blank range after the U's man had danced around both Ruby and Cadmore to make his way into the six yard box.

With sixteen minutes remaining Hayes & Yeading found a way back into the game when substitute Toby Little's cross from the left was cleared poorly by Coulson and Green latched onto the ball and advanced to fire past Brown from 20 yards.

This just seemed to inspire the hosts to go and get more. Within minutes of conceding Masters was called into action again as he palmed away an effort from U's Antonio Murray but within two minutes the home sides' two goal advantage was restored. McAuley picked out Crow who took a touch before firing past the exposed Masters from just inside the area.

With five minutes remaining Little was put through by James Mulley but keeper Brown got to the ball seconds before Little with a tackle that saw the ball being cleared by a chasing defender.

The final strike of the afternoon came three minutes from time when Marriott neatly curled a 20 yard free-kick over the wall and into the empty part of Masters' net.

Although defeated the news was already through that defeat for Eastbourne Borough meant that Hayes & Yeading would play a second year in the top tier next season.

Report by Kevin Watts. Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Danny Allen-Page.