ROBINS START TOUGH LOOKING RUN WITH LANCING LOSS
A devilishly difficult run of games that will see Hassocks take on five of the Southern Combination Premier Division’s top eight in succession kicked off with a disappointing 3-0 loss away at Lancing.
This was the Robins’ first visit to Culver Road since the installation of a new 3G pitch at County HQ and they marked the occasion by giving away two awful goals to make an already tough assignment even harder.
Phil Wickwar felt that the scoreline was harsh on his side but was honest enough to say afterwards that some of the decisions the management took may have contributed to the defeat.
“In hindsight we perhaps set up wrong today and then we didn’t help ourselves either with two of the goals we conceded. Now we have to roll our sleeves up and go again on Tuesday.”
And what a difficult evening that will be away at Horsham YMCA. Hassocks have only two league wins to their name at Gorings Mead since making their first trip there in 1992.
Their most recent success came over a decade ago and with games against Pagham, Littlehampton Town and Loxwood to come after that meeting with Peter Buckland’s title challengers, things aren’t going to get easier anytime soon.
There were plenty of names familiar to Hassocks supporters in the Lancing squad. Goalkeeper Josh Green, right back Jake Mills and midfielders Naim Rouane and Alex Spinks having previously represented the Robins while Ben Bowra and Alex Bygraves had spells as youngsters in the club’s reserve side.
Hassocks for their part had a former Lancing among their ranks in Bradley Bant. Jonno Melia would have been another but he remains sidelined, his work rate and tenacity being sorely missed at the minute.
It was Spinks who gave Lancing the lead on 24 minutes with a toe poke that trickled home after the defence got into a right tangle trying to clear their lines from Dave O’Callaghan’s run and pass.
That came as no surprise to anybody given that it had been all Lancing up up until that point. Reece Wickwar had already been called into action to make good stops from Rouane and former Burgess Hill Town man Richard Greenfield while Bygraves was denied by the woodwork.
Bygraves did get his name on the score sheet before the break, Hassocks’ inability to defend set pieces again being highlighted as the home defender rose to head home a Spinks corner.
The closest the Robins came in the first half was when Phil Gault’s free kick was well held by Green inside the opening five minutes.
Gault could have set up a tense finish but he was brilliantly denied by a last ditch tackle from George Fenton with the trigger loaded and about to be pulled.
Lancing added their third and final goal in stoppage time, O’Callaghan again the provider for substitute Callum McHale to stab home from close range.
Hassocks: Reece Wickwar; Luke Akehurst, Ashley Marsh, Tom Barnes, Dan Jacques; Bradley Bant, Josh Hawkes, Nick Pitcher, Dan Stokes; Michael Death, Phil Gault.
Subs: Spencer Slaughter, Mark Price, Bradley Tighe (used), Rowan Wallis, Phil Wickwar (unused).
