Brave Bridges fought back from 4-0 down to 4-3 before narrowly being knocked out of the league cup 6-4 by Premier Division side Hastings.
Hastings’ first attack led to a mix-up between Dean Dean Carden and Alan Mansfield which led to Scott McDonald tapping into an empty goal.
On the half hour the tricky Dee Okojie created the opening for Bailo Camara to snatch another easy goal.
Just before half-time Hastings’ Jack Dixon forced Mansfield to parry a blistering shot. Matt Whitehead cut back the loose ball and Dee Okojie gratefully stabbed the ball home.
Then on the stroke of half-time Danny Ellis’ free-kick from the right floated past everybody into the net for a half-time score of 4-0, and it seemed that Bridges’ second half task would be simply to keep the score down.
But Bridges weren’t going to lie down and after 56 minutes Charlie Cooke’s free-kick led to both Tim Rivers and Marcus Elliott getting touches before Marlon Maxwell applied the final touch.
Tom Bold struck a crisp 25-yard strike past a helpless keeper.
Cooke then netted from range similar range to leave Tamyar Taslpulatar grasping at thin air.
After Bridges had pulled ack to 4-3, a low cross by Whitehead finished with Ellis Hooper fluffing his clearance and Bailo Camara pouncing to net his second. Leon Dussard saw a header cleared off the line as Bridges continued to believe in themselves. But five minutes from time a poor pass by Rivers led led to a swift Hastings counter-attack.
Camara laid it off for 48-year-old United coach Gary Abbott to stab the ball past Mansfield.
Joel O’Hara nudged the ball over the line but there wasn’t enough time for them to stage another unlikely comeback.
Bridges: Mansfield, Carden, Dussard, Cooke, Hooper (Hammond 82), Bold, O’Hara, Maxwell, Elliott, Rivers, Touray. Unused Subs: Jemwa, Faber, Grimstone.
Aerotron Man of the Match: Abu Touray