BRIDGES STRIKE AT THE DEATH TO DENY HASSOCKS ALL THREE POINTS
An excellent advert for the Sussex County Football League took place at the Beacon as Hassocks and Three Bridges shared the spoils in an enthralling 1-1 draw.
Hassocks looked like they might take the points against one of the pre-season title favourites when Neil Kane struck his fourth goal of the season with an excellent volley 13 minutes from time. Bridges though showed their class and battled back, equalising through Joel O’Hara’s tap in with 120 seconds left of normal time.
It would have been harsh on Bridges to make the journey back north with nothing to show for their efforts. But at the same time, it was hard not to feel sorry for the Robins, who gave their everything against talented opponents who have a side packed with talent this season.
Dave John will take heart that Hassocks more than matched Bridges in terms of the quality of football played. Both sides knocked the ball around beautifully and with confidence on a fine Beacon surface with the game played at pace as it ebbed and flowed from one end to the other.
Referee Ryan Ellis played a big part in that. It is all too easy to point out an official’s faults these days, so Mr Ellis deserved praise for an excellent performance. He let the game continue wherever possible and acted sensibly when flashpoints involving Terry Gacias and James Grant and Ashley Marsh and Ashley Dugdale erupted.
All four were rightly booked, decisions which had a calming effect and prevented the game potentially getting out of hand, which was especially important given that these two clubs have at times had a spiky relationship on the pitch in the past.
John made one change from Saturday’s FA Vase meeting with Sevenoaks Town. Phil Gault missed that 3-1 extra time win over the Kent League outfit having been cup tied playing for St Francis Rangers in an earlier round of the competition. He returned in attack at the expense of Daley Clark who dropped to the bench.
Long range efforts were in vogue in the opening 20 minutes. Grant and Dean Wright tested Joel Harding from distance early on with Gacias doing likewise to Mark Fox in the Bridges goal. Gault came closest to opening the scoring when he produced a moment of magic to chest the ball down and hit a stunning volley from 30 yards but Fox proved equal to it.
Fox was beaten when Stuart Faith met a Gacias free kick with a powerful header but unfortunately for Hassocks, it was marginally over the bar. Fox then had to scramble away a Gault cross-shot before Harding parried a drive from Royce Greenidge.
The end-to-end action continued in the second half. Gault hit another dipping volley from outside the box which this time went just over Fox’s bar and Dean Carden drew a good save from Harding.
John turned to his bench on 76 minutes, introducing Spencer Slaughter in place of the hard-working Michael Bates. Slaughter’s first job was to watch his teammates go 1-0 ahead.
Gacias met a weak Bridges clearance with a powerful header which flew 20 yards down the pitch. That seemed to catch the visiting defence out as Kane reacted quickest to sprint onto the loose ball before cracking in an unstoppable volley from 20 yards out.
Bridges’ response was quick and impressive. Straight from kick off, they fashioned an opportunity for highly rated teenage substitute Elliott Romain but he inexplicably missed a free header from six yards out with the goal gaping.
Hassocks looked like they might hold out after that until O’Hara’s 88th minute equaliser arrived, a low cross to the back post leaving the Bridges man with the easy task of applying the finish. The visitors very nearly claimed all three points for themselves right at the death as Harding was forced into a sensational save from point blank range in time added on.
Hassocks: Joel Harding; Dan Jacques, Sol Bowra, Ashley Marsh, Stuart Faith, Arni Kublickas; Terry Gacias, Michael Bates, Anthony Hibbert; Phil Gault, Neil Kane.
Subs: Spencer Slaughter (Bates 76), Ian Simpson, James Laing, Daley Clark, Jason Gander (unused).
