HASSOCKS FALTER AGAIN IN THE CLOSING STAGES
The closing minutes of games have not been kind to Hassocks of late and that didn’t change as their first competitive meeting with Newhaven since 1987 ended in a 1-1 draw at the Beacon.
A last minute penalty miss on Saturday denied the Robins a deserved FA Cup replay with Isthmian League side Chipstead.
And here they were three days later surrendering two points to the Dockers who equalised just six minutes from time.
In all fairness, the hosts could hardly grumble about the result in what was their first league outing for three weeks.
Hassocks might have created the clearer chances, but it was Newhaven who had the greater desire in the closing half hour and that’s ultimately what led the spoils to be shared.
It was the Dockers’ liveliest attacker, right winger Lee Robinson, who fired a low shot through a crowded area after Hassocks failed to effectively clear their lines.
On this evidence, Robinson is going to be a real handful for Division One defences to handle this season as he gave Chris Maynard and Ashley Marsh a real test on the left side of Hassocks’ defence.
The hosts had led for 70 minutes prior to Robinson’s equaliser but in truth it was a poor performance. Mickey Jewell’s hand wasn’t helped by a bench consisting of defenders Lee Bryant and Tom Davess, 17-year-old midfielder George Brown and goalkeeper Alex Harris.
For Brown, it was a first call up to the first team bench. He’s been in excellent early season form for Nigel Pearce’s Under 18s as they look to go one better than last season’s runners up finish in the Youth League Central Division.
Hassocks’ options were further limited by the fact that the reserves had games the following night and on Friday, which meant he could hardly call upon the likes of Dan Jacques and Stuart Brown who might otherwise have been involved.
There was therefore little that Jewell could do to inject some much-needed life into a team that were dangerously sitting back on their lead.
The withdrawal during the day of Phil Gault coupled with Phil Johnson’s unavailability left Nathan Miles to plough a lone furrow up front and he was guilty of missing some of his side’s best chances.
Jamie Ingham scored the goal after Newhaven keeper Jake Buss did well to save the initial effort and then Anthony Hibbert had his follow-up effort blocked before Ingham made it third time lucky.
That was the midfielder’s first senior goal in his second spell at the club and was a richly deserved reward for some fine appearances of late.
After that 15th minute strike, Miles pulled his shot wide of the far post after just two passes stretching the length of the pitch had put him clean through.
Then on 54 minutes, Buss denied him well when home skipper Nathan Cooper, in his 50th game for the club, released his striker one-on-one.
Hibbert thundered a 30-yarder against the bar midway through the second half but the Dockers, to their credit, kept beavering away before finally earning their reward.
At least on the credit side, the combative and tremendously hard working Mark Price stayed on the pitch for 90 minutes after two red cards in a week and there was a belated first appearance of the season for Bryant from the bench.
And the Robins also had the consolation of maintaining their unbeaten league record this season to five games before the focus again switches to knockout competition, this time the FA Vase and the visit of Ringmer.
Hassocks: Jack Simpson; Rob South, Ashley Marsh, Kieran O’Callaghan, Chris Maynard; Jamie Ingham, Anthony Hibbert, Mark Price, Nathan Cooper, Jamie Hillwood; Nathan Miles.
Subs: Lee Bryant (Ingham 81), Tom Davess, George Brown, Alex Harris (unused).
