Kingstonian secured a 4-1 victory over Hastings United in a cup fixture staged as a prelude to the upcoming league season on Saturday. The match saw Eddie Simon deliver a standout performance, scoring a hat-trick that propelled Kingstonian into the next round of the competition.

Hastings United opened the scoring midway through the first half with a long-range effort from Freddie Legg that found its way past Kingstonian goalkeeper George Hill. The visitors’ lead, however, was short-lived. About ten minutes later, Kingstonian responded when Reuben Duncan headed in a long ball from close range to level the score at 1-1.

Simon then began his scoring spree, volleying home a cross from Rocky Williams that found the far post and put Kingstonian ahead. He completed his hat-trick after Williams fired a shot from distance which the Hastings goalkeeper parried, allowing Simon to capitalize on the rebound. Simon’s goals were complemented by another from Joel Brown, who connected with a cross delivered by Stan Flaherty to extend Kingstonian’s advantage.

The final goal came following a well-orchestrated move down the wing involving Jordan Gallagher, who assisted Simon before the forward navigated past multiple defenders to score. Kingstonian’s four-goal performance contrasted with Hastings United’s solitary strike, leaving the hosts comfortably through to the next stage.

The match provided both teams an opportunity to assess their squads and tactics ahead of their league campaigns, but it was Kingstonian who emerged with a confident win thanks largely to Simon's decisive contributions.