Hastings United manager Nigel Kane took pleasure in keeping the pressure on leaders Maidstone United after his side grabbed a dramatic last-minute winner at Horsham YMCA.

Substitute Graham Webb bagged the winner with a powerful shot from eight yards in a crowded penalty area after YMCA had failed to deal with a bouncing ball.

Kane was a relieved man as the victory keeps Hastings hot on the heels of Maidstone, who top the table by two points with a game in hand.

Kane said: "Maidstone have described us on their website as a thorn in their side.

"That's exactly what we want to be and we want to dig that thorn in a little bit deeper every week.

"They will be anxiously looking over their shoulders in the same way we are anxious to know how they got on after each game.

"All the while we are winning it will be piling the pressure on them. It will come down to whether they can cope with that pressure."

The game had looked to be heading for a draw when Webb grabbed his first senior league goal for United since May 2001.

A gusting wind and hard pitch made conditions difficult for both sides.

Hastings had the better of the first half and YM improved after the break.

Sam Adams' determined efforts were a feature of the game and it was his persistence which led to United taking the lead on 22 minutes when he hooked the ball towards Ade Olorunda and the striker blazed past keeper Dean Ruddy.

Ruddy kept out another effort from Ade Olorunda on the half-hour with a smart save low to his right.

YM drew level a minute into the second half when United centre half Dan Williams flicked a ball from the right into Pat Massaro's path and the striker rifled his finish into the far corner.

The hosts had valid penalty claims for a handball ignored two minutes later when Jimmy Elford cut out Steve Davies' attempted cross but the referee gave a corner.

Hastings also felt Adams was felled in the box on 64 minutes but their appeals were also ignored and it took Webb's late intervention to seal the points.

YM manager John Suter was philosophical in defeat.

He said: "I would have settled for a 1-1 draw and it's disappointing to concede a goal in the 90th minute, especially when you've allowed the ball to bounce around in the penalty box.

"But justice is often done in football. When we played down there we equalised in the 94th minute from a free-kick.

"I said to Nigel afterwards, What goes around, comes around' so good luck to them.

"Over the 90 minutes we deserved the point, especially with the penalty we should have had but the referee said he didn't see it."

Horsham YMCA: Ruddy, Carden, Levett, Hooper, Lovegrove, White, Greenfield (sub Ottley 72), Kirkwood, Davies, Massaro, Goncalves (sub Russell 81). Unused subs: Achoko, Woodburn.

Hastings United: Worgan, Sims, Elford, Rose, Williams, Spice, Ellis, T. Olorunda, A. Olorunda, Adams, Eldridge (Webb 83). Unused subs: Griffin, Cruttenden, Whybourne.

Burgess Hill manager Gary Croydon came away feeling happy despite seeing his side lose 1-0 away to leaders Maidstone United.

The only goal of the game was a penalty by Simon Austin five minutes before half-time.

Croydon said: "We had an average age of 19 out there. We tried really hard to get the ball down and play. In the second half especially we played some delightful football without really threatening.

"Maidstone are a very physical, long ball side who play in the style of the old Wimbledon teams.

"If I was a Maidstone supporter I wouldn't want to watch that every week.

"It is a way of football we all know and respect but whether we like it is a different matter."