Hassocks Under 23s play their final game of October with Lancing the visitors to the Beacon in Southern Combination League Under 23 West Division action this Thursday night.
The Robins have been in good form since suffering their first defeat of the campaign against Selsey three weeks ago, winning their two subsequent games while scoring 11 goals and conceding none.
Impressive though those 6-0 and 5-0 victories over Hailsham Town and Mile Oak may have been, Nigel Pearce’s side will face a much sterner test against a Lancing side who have positioned themselves as dark horses for a possible tilt at the title.
Aside from Selsey, Lancing are the only other team to have taken a point off Hassocks so far this season when the sides met on the opening day of the campaign, sharing a 1-1 draw at Culver Road.
Max Willcox put the Robins 1-0 ahead five minutes before half time. That was cancelled out by Taku Madhlazi’s 66th minute leveller as the spoils were shared, one of five goals that the Lancer’s top scorer has to his name this season.
Since that August evening at Culver Road, Lancing have racked up three wins, one further draw and a single defeat. That came against current second placed side Horsham YMCA, a narrow 2-1 loss at Culver Road in September.
Lancing’s only previous visit to the Beacon at this level came in March. George Galbraith-Gibbons got his first goals for the Under 21s with a brace with Matt Berridge also on target as the Robins ran out 3-2 winners as they attempted to hang onto the coat tails of leaders Pagham.
Hassocks could come up against a familiar face. Former Robins right back Bradley Tighe moved to Lancing in the summer from Ringmer and has spent most of the campaign playing for the Lancers’ Under 23 side, including in that last meeting between the two.
Kick off on Thursday night is 7.45pm and entrance is £3 adults with everybody else going free. Both the Robins Bar and the T Bar will be open for alcoholic refreshments and hot food and drink respectively.
