No games? No problem for returning Hastings United boss Agutter

Call-offs of United’s Isthmian premier home clash with Carshalton last Saturday and Tuesday’s visit to West Sussex to play Chichester City in the Velocity Trophy have been a frustration for the squad.

But Agutter, whose side won 2-1 at Margate immediately after his return to the club last week, says it has enabled him to hold extra training sessions and get to know his players that little bit better than he would otherwise have done by now.

They will be hoping the weather relents to allow tomorrow’s visit to Hashtag United to go ahead – then they are due to host Crawley Down Gatwick in the Sussex Senior Cup on Tuesday.

Meanwhile the Carshalton home game has been rejigged for Tuesday, November 14.

Agutter told us: “We’d have liked to play the matches, of course, but it’s given us a good opportunity to do some work on the training pitch. Two extra sessions with the group have been beneficial for them and for us the staff.”

The new manager is not ripping up the team’s approach to games – as he points out, they’d had a reasonable start to the season – but is ‘tweaking and adding a couple of things’.

"The players have responded well. It’s not all new to them – it’s a transition period. They’ve been great – I can’t speak highly enough of them,” he said.

As Agutter settles back into the Pilot Field hotseat, he believes he may need to make a small number of additions to the squad.

"I’ve got 13-14 really decent first-team players – a decent core,” he said.

"I’ve never liked having a massive squad – I like about an 18-man squad, it’s not bloated and it’s tight-knit.

"You don’t need 25 players – if you get the mentality right you don’t need every player having someone breathing down their neck.

"So we might look to add three or four – from the academy or externally.”

Hashtag host Hastings tomorrow just one point and place behind their visitors in mid-table.

“Anyone can beat anyone, so we’ll take no-one lightly,” Agutter added.