HORROR HALF HOUR COSTS HASSOCKS DEAR
Four times last season Hassocks played Worthing United and four times they tasted victory, scoring 17 goals along the way.
Performances and results such as those 5-0 and 4-1 Southern Combination League Premier Divisions wins and a stunning 6-3 triumph in the Sussex Senior Cup seem like an age away now as the Robins were pulled further into the mire at the Robert Albon Memorial Ground, losing 2-1 to be leapfrogged in the table by United in the process.
They are now just two points above the relegation zone ahead of a week off due to Chichester City’s continuing involvement in the FA Trophy.
After that, they face second bottom Arundel at the Beacon. Christmas may not be here yet, but already that clash with the Mullets has the feel of a hair-raising six pointer. Lose it and alarm bells will be ringing.
“We are in a bad place at the moment and the players need to give us a reaction,” Phil Wickwar said afterwards. “Otherwise, something has to change.”
There were changes in the line up here, largely enforced. Ashley Marsh, Phil Gault, Will Broomfield, Spencer Slaughter and Bradley Bant were all missing but on the plus side, Hassocks were able to welcome back Josh Tuck after nearly a month on the sidelines through injury.
A small crumb of comfort for Hassocks is that they were the better side in the second half. Unfortunately, by that point they were already 2-0 down and facing an uphill task as they’d also been reduced to 10 men.
It was an all too familiar tale – poor defending giving the opposition a head start and then profligate finishing letting them off the hook at the other end.
“We’ve created enough chances out there to win two games of football. We’ve got to stop being so wasteful and we simply cannot keep defending like that,” Wickwar added.
The defending seems a good place to start, seeing as it was non existent for United’s first two goals which came in the opening 15 minutes.
Firstly, a completely free header from a corner was nodded down with Paul Dourthe reacting quickest – actually, he was the only person to react – to smash home.
That was after four minutes. 11 minutes later and it was former Hassocks forward Pat Rose who doubled United’s advantage after he was teed up by James McKernan, who was allowed to waltz through five challenges as if protected by some sort of force field.
Hassocks had a few opportunities after that with Charlie Pitcher and Liam Benson missing one-on-ones and things went from bad to worse when Michael Death was shown a straight red for raising his hands to an opponents face.
Death thought the dismissal was harsh but it was a pretty reckless thing to do. It did at least spur his team mates on to give a far better account of themselves for the remaining hour of the game.
Another chance went begging just before the interval when Benson appeared to get in Pitcher’s way after a great ball in from Jordan Badger. The second half was pretty much one way traffic towards the United goal.
It was Pitcher who got the Hassocks goal early in the second half and there were plenty of chances to add to it afterwards which could’ve seen Hassocks claim a point or even win the game – none of which were taken.
Benson missed a header when completely free from a Lewis Westlake free kick, Pitcher hit a post when through on goal and a brilliant cross from substitute Joe Maskell attacking down the right evaded everyone queuing up in the box.
Hassocks: Nathan Stroomberg; Adam Dawson, Tom Barnes, Josh Tuck, Jordan Badger; James Westlake, Lewis Westlake, Harry Mills, Liam Benson; Charlie Pitcher, Michael Death.
Subs: Joe Maskell, Jack Wilkins (used).
Starman: Charlie Pitcher.
