BENSON COMES BACK TO THE BEACON TO HAUNT HASSOCKS
At 5pm on Friday evening, the Beacon pitch was underwater. Hassocks probably wish it had stayed that way as the reward for their ground staffs hard work over the next 24 hours in getting it playable was a 4-0 defeat against Lancing.
This was a desperately disappointing result for the Robins. Just like Hassocks, Lancing had won only once in 2018 coming into the game and, with six matches remaining including against title challenging trio Haywards Heath Town, Chichester City and Pagham, this was one the Robins had to get something from if they are to have any chance of extending their say in the Southern Combination League Premier Division to a 25th season.
They’ve managed to produce great escapes from the drop in the last three campaigns, but this latest 4-0 defeat to out-of-form opposition means it looks increasingly likely that it will prove to be a bridge too far this time.
Ironically, it was one of the men who played a huge part in maintaining the Robins’ Premier Division status last season who hammered some more nails into the coffin.
Liam Benson’s seven goals in Hassocks’ final 12 games of the 2016-17 campaign following his promotion from the club’s Under 21 side went a long way to preserving the Robins’ spot in the top flight and despite leaving for Culver Road in December, he remains Hassocks’ second top scorer so far this season with seven.
That a player who departed four months into a nine month campaign will probably finish runner up in the goal scoring charts highlights one of the reasons that Hassocks have struggled and Benson showed everyone at the Beacon what they’ve been missing since his move to the Lancers with a brace.
The visitors’ two other goals came from Lewis Finney, who passed a century for the Lancing in the process – a remarkable feat in this day and age when most players move from club to club as frequently as they get their haircut.
Having put in such a promising display a week previously at Loxwood where wastefulness in front of goal was the only thing that prevented them from picking up a seventh league win of the season, Phil Wickwar and Mark Dalgleish were understandably keen to stick with the same team.
There were two enforced changes, Harry Mills and James Littlejohn going out to be replaced by Josh Tuck and Jordan Badger.
In theory, the return of two of the Robins most impressive performers so far this season should’ve strengthened them further and for the opening 20 minutes, it looked that way as there was little to choose between the two sides and few clear cut opportunities.
That all changed when Finney opened the scoring with 21 minutes played. Benson added the second 10 minutes before half time and there was further misery to come in the second half with Finney notching seven minutes after the restart and Benson again on 70 minutes.
Hassocks tested Lancing goalkeeper Tyler D’Cruz on only a couple of occasions. The only real positive from the hosts point of view being another youth team product making his debut, 19-year-old Solly Ross being introduced from the bench late on to become the 20th player to have come through the Robins system to represent the first team this season.
Hassocks: Haig Kingston; Joe Maskell, Josh Tuck, Spencer Slaughter, Jordan Badger, Dan Stokes; Will Broomfield, Matt Berridge, Bradley Bant; Jack Wilkins, Michael Death.
Subs: Jake Atherton, Joe Russell, Solly Ross (used).
