WOEFUL ROBINS CRASH TO OUT OF FORM GOLDS
Hassocks recorded another low point in what is proving to be a ridiculously inconsistent season as they were eliminated from the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup at the second round stage following a 5-0 home defeat to Littlehampton Town.
Hopes were high that a corner had been turned after Hailsham Town were demolished 6-2 at the Beacon in midweek. That came three days after the Robins themselves had been hammered 6-1 at Chichester City.
Instead, it’s back to the drawing board for Hassocks as a heavy defeat followed by a big win is followed by another heavy defeat, this time against a side who arrived in Mid Sussex having lost their previous seven on the trot in all competitions.
This Marigolds side appears to be a far cry from the one that defeated Hassocks 6-1 in both of their league meetings on their way to lifting the Southern Combination title last time out.
They’ve lost a number of key players from that championship winning squad as well as the management team of Mark Bennett and Richie Hellen – all of which would have given the Robins hope of advancing to the third round of the competition for the first time since 2013.
But they were absolutely woeful. In fact, there couldn’t have been many complaints if Town had have won by seven or eight as opposed to the five they managed to rack up.
With Phil Gault cup tied having already played in the competition for Haywards Heath Town, Michael Death and Jonno Melia up front were starved of service.
Hassocks failed to register one meaningful effort on John Hendrick’s goal all afternoon with the giant keeper earning his crust by routinely collecting the handful of crosses into the box that the Robins could muster.
They admittedly weren’t helped by a number of injury blows throughout the course of the 90 minutes. Arni Kublickas lasted just ten minutes on his first start in five years.
Nick Pitcher eventually succumbed to a dislocated shoulder with an hour played after it had miraculously popped itself back in in the first half. Tom Barnes was withdrawn late in the second half with what looked like an ankle complaint.
It was Kublickas’ leg injury that paved the way for Littlehampton to open the scoring, the left back pulling up with a muscle problem which allowed Scott Packer the time and space he needed to deliver into the box.
Hassocks made a right hash of clearing their lines with the ball falling to Dean Janman on the edge of the box. Despite him hitting a pea roller that approached the goal so slowly it appeared to be travelling backwards, nobody reacted as the ball trickled up to the post and across the line.
On 27 minutes it was 2-0. Referee Kevin Dawson awarded a very soft free kick to Littlehampton on the edge of the Hassocks box from which Mitchell Hand calmly stroked a low effort past the wall and into the same corner that Janman had found for the opener.
The Robins were all over the place at this point and only some excellent work from George Willett and Bradley Tighe stopped a third going in on the half hour mark, the former producing a good save from a volley with the rebound being brilliantly blocked at the expense of a corner by the latter.
That was just a case of preventing the inevitable though as Littlehampton added their third three minutes later, the always dangerous George Landais bending an effort into the top corner from the outside the box which left Willett grasping at thin air.
That was game over before the half time kettle had even boiled. Landais went onto add two more in the second half to complete his hat-trick, notching a well taken volley after bringing a Rob Hutchings cross down and then easily converting a free header after another fine ball in from Hutchings.
While it will be of little comfort to the Robins faithful in the aftermath of the defeat, the five goals here made it 21 in three first team and Under 21 games throughout the past week.
That at least gave Phil Wickwar a positive to cling to, saying afterwards, “If you want to see goals, the Beacon is the place to come.”
As for where Hassocks go from here? “We need to get consistency in our selection and availability. When you look through the players we had missing today they would make a great XI, but that happens at our level. We will bounce back.”
Hassocks: George Willett; Bradley Tighe, Tom Barnes, Rowan Wallis, Arni Kublickas; Bradley Bant, Josh Hawkes, Nick Pitcher, Dan Jacques; Michael Death, Jonno Melia.
Subs: James Oliver (Kublickas 11), Jack Wilkins (Pitcher 61), Liam Benson (Tom Barnes 69), Oscar Wolfstrome, Phil Wickwar (unused).
