SAME OLD STORY FOR WASTEFUL ROBINS
It was another frustrating day at the office for Hassocks as their recent mini revival came to an end with a 2-0 defeat away at lowly Littlehampton Town.
A despondent Phil Wickwar summed things up in typically phlegmatic style afterwards. “Again we were the better team. Again we couldn’t take our chances. And again we’re on the end of another defeat. We can’t keep saying that every week.”
Wickwar is right; Hassocks can’t if they are to avoid the sort of struggles that have dogged them over the past couple of seasons.
There were few excuses they could give at the St Flora Sportsfield for being just the second team to lose to Littlehampton in the Premier Division this season.
Yes, resources were stretched with the Under 21s also in Sussex Intermediate Cup action away at Arundel, a scenario that meant that Wickwar and fellow joint boss Mark Dalgleish had to name themselves among the substitutes.
But their starting line up should have been more than match for the struggling Golds, especially as the Robins were able to name an unchanged side for the first time this season.
And while they may have been missing the finishing ability of the injured Phil Gault, the attacking triumvirate of Ben Bacon, Nathan Miles and Michael Death should have had more than enough about them to ensure the Robins returned with at least something.
The first half was one of few chances. Miles and Bacon both had enterprising runs that came to nothing. Bradley Bant got free once down the right but his pull back missed everyone.
Some trademark set piece deliveries from James Westlake caused problems, especially when they found their way to the imposing heads of Jordan Badger and Josh Hawkes.
But nothing found it’s way past Littlehampton goalkeeper Luke Hutchings. The sides turned around level at the break and it was in the second half that Hassocks’ game fell apart alarmingly.
Jack Cole opened the scoring on the hour mark. Some slack defending allowed the forward in one-on-one and he made no mistake, slotting past James Broadbent and into the bottom corner of the Hassocks goal.
That seemed to paralyse and shock the visitors and they completely lost their heads as a result, conceding a second within the next 120 seconds.
Marshall Ball’s effort was a fortuitous one, the midfielder hitting a half volley through a crowd of players that must have left Broadbent unsighted as the ball squeezed past him and into the back of the net.
Substitute Lewis Westlake offered some control when he was introduced after that, but deep down you suspected that Hassocks knew this was just going to be another one of those days. Something that, again, Hassocks have been saying with far too much regularity so far.
Hassocks: James Broadbent; Harry Mills, Tom Barnes, Jordan Badger, Ashley Marsh; Josh Hawkes; James Westlake, Bradley Bant; Ben Bacon; Nathan Miles, Michael Death.
Subs: Lewis Westlake (used), Bradley Tighe, Luke Akehurst, Mark Dalgleish, Phil Wickwar (unused).
Starman: James Westlake
