FIVE STAR HASSOCKS PROVE TOO MUCH FOR CREAKING BEARS DEFENCE
For the first 18 minutes of this John O’Hara League Cup second round tie, it looked as if Hassocks would be in for a difficult afternoon away against Division Two opponents Broadbridge Heath.
The hosts were much the better side and should have gone ahead on a couple of occasions. They paid for that profligacy when Matt Robbins opened the scoring with the Robins first real attempt of the game and from there, it was a cakewalk really for Hassocks.
They ended up winning 5-0 with five different scorers as Richard Thompson, Anthony Hibbert, Phil Gault and Pete Lear joined Robbins on the score sheet to make it a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions for Heath.
A week earlier Heath had their closest game in that sequence of losses, going down to a narrow defeat to Hassocks’ Division One rivals Three Bridges with whom Dave John’s side had drawn 1-1 in midweek.
The Bears though could surely not have could not have fielded the same defence against Three Bridges that offered such scant resistance at the Leisure Centre in this one.
As bright as Heath were going forward, particularly early on, then as dull they were at the back. Their ageing and laboured defence was little better than an intermediate outfit and in the end the scoreline could have been even more embarrassing.
Not that John was dwelling on the shortcomings of the opposition afterwards. “After the early exchanges we did the job and you can’t really ask for any more than that,” the Robins boss said afterwards.
With Matt Amos having gone off to Cambridge University, James Laing unavailable and Mark Sheriff continuing his comeback by playing and scoring in the reserves 4-0 win over Ringmer, John reverted to his usual preferred option of pushing the highly influential Matt Robbins forward from midfield.
And it was Robbins who provided a splendidly clinical finish after great work by left back Thompson on 18 minutes.
Thompson had a superb first 45 minutes and it was fitting he should score the second goal 10 minutes later when Robbins somewhat inadvertently returned the compliment.
Mickey Turner found Robbins whose mishit shot ended up being the perfect pass for Thompson’s silky left foot to provide the finish.
Before the opening goal Heath had looked much the better side and missed a great chance on eight minutes when the visitors defended woefully from a Chris Hughes free kick but defender Jamie Fiveash directed his header straight at the grateful Joel Harding.
The opening goal changed the balance of play however, although at 2-0 at half time the hosts could still have retained some hope given the attacking threat they’d shown early on.
In truth they should have been further behind as a minute after Thompson’s goal Robbins set up Hibbert for a clear shooting chance he put well wide.
It was obvious the next goal would be key and when it fell to Hassocks 10minutes after the break, that was game, set and match. Gault found Robbins and he played Hibbert through to more than make amends with a fine finish.
It was then a case of who else might get on the score sheet and much of the smart money would have been on Gault, who had been only inches wide from an excellent Thompson cross on 51 minutes. He made no mistake after 66 minutes when prospering from a fortunate break of the ball.
With two young strikers on the bench in Logan Newington and James McKenzie, Robbins was destined to end the game in his slightly more familiar midfield role but before that it was a couple of his power headers from Hibbert corners that caught the eye.
The first was saved by Joe Comper but the second was cleared off the line and finally fell for Lear to score his third goal of the season with a well controlled half volley.
You always know Hassocks are on easy street when they give a run out to all their subs and so it was here, both Newington and McKenzie getting 15 minutes in a double change. Brendan Leahy was also introduced from the bench, continuing his return from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a run out in place of Stuart Faith at the back.
Robbins was unlucky not to add his second with a header from Turner’s cross and in the closing minutes only the legs of Harding denied Nick Humble a consolation goal for Heath.
Hassocks: Joel Harding; Mickey Turner, Pete Lear, Ashley Marsh, Stuart Faith, Richard Thompson; Sam Fisk, Anthony Hibbert, Spencer Slaughter; Matt Robbins, Phil Gault.
Subs: Brendan Leahy (Faith 73), Logan Newington (Slaughter 78), James McKenzie (Fisk 78).
Starman: Richard Thompson, quality first half performance and only a pity he did not see as much of the ball after the break.
