TEN MAN ROBINS BATTLE TO VASE VICTORY
Hassocks are into the second round of the FA Vase for only the third time in their history after a gutsy 2-0 victory over Combined Counties League side Ash United.
This was a hugely impressive performance and result from Dave John’s side as they defeated an Ash side who are flying in the league to set up a trip to either Marlow United or Lymington Town.
Should they win that, then they will become the first Hassocks side in history to make it through the third round of the national cup competition.
What made the result so impressive was that they had to see out the final 35 minutes with only 10 men after the dismissal of Stuart Faith for two bookable offences.
The first of those for a foul was extremely harsh and the second, for kicking the ball away, nothing short of a joke.
Referee Mr Walsh from Waterlooville seemed out of his depth all afternoon and earned the wrath of the Robins faithful on multiple occasions.
Despite Mr Walsh’s best efforts to penalise Hassocks at every turn, they dug deep and weathered a bit of a storm late on to grind out a superb win.
For the first 20 minutes of the tie, Ash passed around confidently, looked assured on the ball and had a lively front pairing in Brad Smith and Gavin Evans who gave the Hassocks defence plenty to think about.
Despite dominating possession, the visitors weren’t able to take the lead their possession perhaps deserved and Hassocks began to work their way back into it.
Chances were at a real premium at both ends, Faith sending a looping header over and Joel Harding smothering a Davis effort with ease.
Phil Gault had the best chance of the first half on 25 minutes when he was sent clear by Matt Robbins but the normally reliable striker could only place his effort straight at Chris Andrews in the Ash goal.
Gault had another half chance when his effort from an Anthony Hibbert corner was blocked and the reliable Pete Lear cleared a goal bound header from Chris Atkins away for corner.
It was Hibbert who gave Hassocks the lead three minutes into the second half, catching Andrews off his line with an exquisite 25-yard curler that nestled in the right hand corner of the net after Gault’s fine lay off.
Lear missed a glorious opportunity to make it 2-0 on 57 minutes when a firm but fair challenge from Gault on Andrews saw the goalkeeper spill the ball and end up flailing on the ground.
Lear had an open goal in front of him and was no more than 10 yards out but he could succeed only in lazing the ball a mile over the goal.
That miss looked like it could prove costly when Faith was shown red on the hour mark. Mr Walsh awarded a free kick against the Robins defender and a split second after the whistle had blown, Faith kicked the ball away.
In order for it to be a deliberate piece of time wasting, Faith would’ve needed the psychic powers of Mystic Meg given how quickly he reacted to the decision and had Mr Walsh applied a small slice of common sense, then he’d have realised that this was not an intentional ploy to hold play up.
Unfortunately, common sense seemed to be something that the referee was missing and so Faith headed for an early bath.
John re-organised his side immediately, sacrificing Richard Thompson on the left in favour of Brendan Leahy who took up Faith’s position at centre back. Sam Fisk moved from midfield across to left wing back in place of Thompson and Robbins dropped into midfield.
Hassocks had been playing shorthanded for only seven minutes when they doubled their lead, Gault holding off his man, rolling his way into the box and then striking past Andrews from eight yards.
That was the breathing space Hassocks needed and it allowed them to retreat and man the trenches, something they did superbly.
Ash enjoyed plenty of possession but never really managed to hurt the home defence with Harding having a relatively quiet time of it in goal, although he did react smartly to parry away a volley from Smith which stung the palms.
Hassocks left the field to a fine reception from the home crowd at the final whistle and a possible place in the history beckons in five weeks’ time.
Hassocks: Joel Harding; Mickey Turner, Pete Lear, Ashley Marsh, Stuart Faith, Richard Thompson; Sam Fisk, Spencer Slaughter, Anthony Hibbert; Phil Gault, Matt Robbins.
Subs: Brendan Leahy (Thompson 63), Richard Thomas (Gault 87), Dan Jacques, Laurence Robinson, Phil Wickwar (unused).
