TEN MAN ROBINS CLAIM POINT FROM MULLETS
On the face of it, a 1-1 draw at third from bottom Arundel looks like a poor result for a Hassocks side that have been in good form of late.
But they may look back on this as a big point gained in their quest to secure a 24th consecutive season of Premier Division football come the end of the campaign.
The point maintains a seven point gap to the Mullets who continue to occupy the final relegation spot while Worthing United were the only side in the bottom eight to win.
Throw in the fact that the Robins had to play out the final third of the game with 10 men after Tom Barnes received two cautions in the space of five minutes for the second time this season and it wasn’t hard to see why Phil Wickwar was articulating the positives afterwards.
“It was a good result in the end given we had to be disciplined and tactically astute once we went down to 10. We defended excellently from that point on, James Broadbent didn’t have a save to make and we could’ve won the game with the chances we created.”
Most of those chances were either fashioned by or fell to Charlie Pitcher. Pitcher arrived last week from Loxwood and scored twice in his first game in Hassocks colours, the Under 21s 6-1 win over Eastbourne United Association on Thursday night.
Wickwar and Mark Dalgliesh didn’t hesitate to throw him in for his first team debut just 48 hours later. It was a lively performance from the striker who has been a regular scorer at this level for four seasons now, which makes it easy to forget he is still only 19 years old.
Pitcher put Hassocks on the front foot early on in a first half in which they were largely dominant. He shot wide when well placed and was then denied by Arundel goalkeeper James Fernandes when a square pass to Phil Gault would’ve left the Robins talismanic forward with an open goal.
Bradley Tighe was having a whale of a time marauding forward from right back, his best delivery of the day coming when Pitcher sent him away and Gault was a hair’s breadth from connecting with the cross.
Gault then played a delightful through ball which looked destined to send James Westlake in one-on-one until Pitcher misread the situation and intercepted it himself.
Jordan Badger was causing all manner of issues from set pieces, clipping the post with a thumping volley. It was from a Badger flick on from a James Westlake corner that Hassocks went ahead, Harry Mills lashing home the loose ball from eight yards out.
The lead lasted all of five minutes. Arundel had been on a few raids into Hassocks territory but Broadbent had been largely comfortable until an excellent Asa Nicholson delivery fell to Harry Russell who smashed home with aplomb.
The second half was just 10 minutes old when Barnes received his marching orders. The first yellow seemed harsh, a tackle that nine times out of 10 wouldn’t warrant a card.
But there could be little complaint about the second as the Robins centre back cynically checked Russell in a decision that, given he had been booked less than five minutes beforehand, seemed a very bizarre one to make.
Hassocks changed things up immediately, Mills dropping into the centre of defence with Gault moving back into midfield and Liam Benson replacing Jack Rowe-Hurst as the visitors took the brave decision to leave two up top.
That bold approach paid off as the Robins pinned Arundel back into their half for large periods of the remaining half an hour.
As a result, the Mullets were forced into playing a more direct game in an attempt to break out and take advantage of the wind.
Hassocks had a couple of chances to win the game late on, James Westlake being denied brilliantly by the feet of Fernandes and Pitcher firing high, wide and handsome when well placed.
Pitcher was replaced by Michael Death for the final 15 minutes and the experienced striker used his body well to hold up the ball.
There was very little in the way of chances created by both sides after that and given the circumstances, Hassocks could be satisfied with the point that the afternoon yielded.
Hassocks: James Broadbent; Bradley Tighe, Tom Barnes, Jordan Badger, Luke Akehurst; James Westlake, Harry Mills, Lewis Westlake, Jack Rowe-Hurst; Phil Gault, Charlie Pitcher.
Subs: Liam Benson (Rowe-Hurst), Michael Death (Pitcher), Bradley Bant, Jack Wilkins, Ben John (unused).
Starman: James Broadbent.
