SIX GOAL THRILLER LEAVES HONOURS EVEN AT THE BEACON
It’s been six long seasons since Hassocks and Peacehaven & Telscombe last met in a league game but this richly entertaining 3-3 thriller proved to be well worth the wait.
The Tye last played Division One football in the 2002-03 campaign but they look well equipped to make a real impression on their top flight return having been crowned Division Two champions last season.
Dave John would have been pleased then that his side played a full part in an excellent footballing contest, conjuring up some passages of play that more than matched those delivered by the visitors who could be dark horses for this year’s County League title.
By the time the full time whistle blew, both sides could have claimed that they deserved the three points afterwards – which is what made the draw the right result at the end of the evening.
Peacehaven certainly enjoyed zipping the ball around on a slick Beacon surface in the opening exchanges and they took the lead as early as the 13th minute when Tom Levitt fired home after Hassocks couldn’t convincingly clear a cross.
That goal seemed to shock the Robins into life and within six minutes they were level. There was some debate but who got the final touch onto a ball delivered into the box with Stuart Faith requiring length treatment to a nasty head wound that he’d incurred in the confusion.
Faith in the end claimed the goal, which was probably the least he deserved for his endeavours in putting his head in where it hurts.
Joel Harding had to save well from Carl Dunk and Levitt again before Hassocks went ahead 10 minutes before the interval.
The Peacehaven defence were completely caught out by a huge clearance from Harding and as the visitors’ back four froze, Anthony Hibbert latched onto the ball over the top and beat Jake Buss in the Tye goal with ease.
That goal sparked an action-packed finish to the first half from a Hassocks point of view. Hibbert was inches away from making it 3-1 when his volley flashed just wide of Buss’ post while Spencer Slaughter and Terry Gacias both found their way into the referee’s book.
Whatever was said to the Peacehaven players at half time clearly had the desired impact as they began the second half with real urgency, knocking the ball around well as Hassocks struggled to get a grip on proceedings.
It was no surprise when that bright start was rewarded with an equaliser just prior to the hour mark. Arni Kublickas’ clearing header wasn’t a good one with the ball falling to Craig Bunch who delivered the perfect cross straight onto the boot of Levitt for his second of the game.
Things went from bad to worse for Hassocks’ young Lithuanian full back after that as he picked up a deserved booking for a heavy challenge and then allowed himself to be turned far too easily by Dunk who fired past Harding to put Peacehaven into the lead.
That was on 66 minutes. John responded by throwing on strikers Neil Kane and James Laing in place of Matt Amos and Gacias.
The new faces nearly had an instant impact, fashioning a chance for Slaughter who tested Buss with a real pile driver from a full 30 yards which the Peacehaven keeper did well to keep out.
There was nothing that Buss could do about the Hassocks leveller though which arrived with just six minutes of normal time remaining.
Hibbert swung over a free kick to the far post where Laing had timed his run to perfection to meet the delivery with a trademark header.
Both sides then had chances to win it in injury time. Ian Simpson’s rocket header flew narrowly over the bar with Buss well beaten and Harding somehow managed to keep out a double effort from Bunch, firstly with his hands and then even more impressively with his feet.
Hassocks: Joel Harding; Michael Bates, Ian Simpson, Ashley Marsh, Stuart Faith, Arni Kublickas; Terry Gacias, Spencer Slaughter, Anthony Hibbert; Phil Gault, Matt Amos.
Subs: Neil Kane (Amos 72), James Laing (Gacias 77), Sol Bowra, Daley Clark, Jason Gander (unused).
Starman: Stuart Faith.
