DERBY DAY QUARTER FINAL AFTER HASSOCKS HIT SEAFORD FOR SIX
There will be a Mid Sussex Derby in the quarter finals of the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup after Hassocks set up a home date with Haywards Heath Town.
A 6-2 win over Division One side Seaford Town ensures that Shaun Saunders will bring his Bostik League South East promotion chasers to the Beacon with a spot in the final four up for grabs.
Heath booked their own place in the last eight by hammering Lancing 10-0 and they also held an iron grip in last season’s derby games, scoring nine goals and conceding just one as they picked up six points on their way to winning the Southern Combination League title.
The Hanbury Park trophy cabinet contains the Peter Bentley League Cup and the Sussex Community Shield. As the highest ranked team left in the RUR, the Blues are the red hot favourites to add this cup to their collection, making the Robins chances of what would be just their fifth semi final appearance in senior football appear slim.
Still, Hassocks should be able to look forward to a bumper crowd for the visit of Heath – and they’ll be in for a treat if it is anywhere near as entertaining as this one was. Eight goals, a missed penalty and Seaford manager Scott Osborne being sent to the stands made for a captivating evening.
All that action was packed into 50 minutes that began with Liam Benson’s opener five minutes before the break and ended with Jake Lindsey scoring his second and the Robins sixth with 89 on the clock.
Hassocks led for less than a minute following Benson’s seventh goal of the campaign. Ali Rainsford equalised for Town and they still found time to miss from 12 yards after referee Oliver Westgate pointed to the spot right on the stroke of half time.
The Beacon has seen its fair share of horrific penalties over the last few seasons, but this one was as bad as anything that has gone before as the ball ended up in the children’s playground that is located up on the bank, about 30 yards to the right of the west end goal. Luckily, there were no children present at the time.
Anyone who entered the clubhouse five minutes before half time would have missed all that and any late stragglers leaving the warmth at the start of the second were also punished when Jordan Badger put Hassocks 2-1 ahead inside of 120 seconds of the restart.
Badger’s height and aerial ability make him a real threat from set pieces and the Robins captain has spoken previously about his desire to contribute more in terms of scoring, so a second goal in four October appearances would have pleased him.
There was some debate about Hassocks’ third. Phil Johnson did his best to claim it as his own but the dubious goals panel will probably put it down as an own goal.
No such ambiguity surrounded the Robins fourth, Lindsey netting his first of the evening to continue his good run of form since reverting to a wider role in the defeat at Little Common 10 days ago.
That proved to be the catalyst for visiting boss Osborne to be asked to leave the technical area by Mr Westgate. Hassocks supporters know that Osborne is a passionate character from his two-year spell as reserve team manager at the Beacon eight years ago and that boiled over here as frustration mounted due to the Robins dominance.
It was a rare Harry Mills goal that made it 5-1 on 79 minutes, the defender scoring for the first time since March 2017 with Connor Martin adding Seaford’s second a minute later. Lindsey rounded things off in the final minute to complete his first senior brace.
Hassocks: Josh Green; Harvey Blake, Harry Mills, Will Broomfield, Jordan Badger; Jake Lindsey, Dan Stokes, Spencer Slaughter, Joe Bull; Liam Benson, Phil Johnson.
Subs: Matt Berridge, James Littlejohn, George Galbraith-Gibbons (used), Dan Jacques, Phil Wickwar (unused).
Starman: Jake Lindsey
