PAIN IN THE RAIN AS HASSOCKS FALL TO HAVEN
As the rain poured and games across Sussex fell like dominoes, Hassocks could have been forgiven for rueing the investment they’ve sunk into the Beacon pitch over the years.
Whilst many non-league clubs spend money on players, Hassocks have always ploughed their finances into their facilities, turning their home ground into one of the finest on the Southern Combination League circuit.
The benefit of that investment was evidenced come 5pm on Saturday evening after the visit of Peacehaven & Telscombe.
Despite the Beacon car park being under water and the roads around the ground flooded, the pitch more than survived the worst weather conditions that anyone can remember seeing at a Hassocks home game for the past 25 years.
Torrential rain fell for the entire 90 minutes and a driving wind meant that temperatures plummeted. It was terrible to watch in and difficult to play in.
Spencer Slaughter, with nearly 500 career games for a glut of Sussex sides under his belt, said afterwards that he’d never experienced anything like it – and he only played the first 45 minutes before succumbing to illness.
“It was absolutely vile,” said Slaughter. “I was shocked it went ahead to be honest. I spoke to several Southern Combination and Bostik League players on Saturday night and we all agreed it was by far the worst conditions we’ve ever played in.”
“Pat Harding (Slaughter’s former Hassocks and Burgess Hill Town teammate) said to me he showered after Burgess Hill’s game in his full kit and boots as he couldn’t undo them due to being so cold and wet. And they were abandoned after 30 minutes.”
Hassocks will wish that their clash with the Tye had have gone the same way as the Hillians trip to Whitehawk as this was a bruising afternoon for the Robins.
A first half brace from Callum Hart was followed by a second half brace from Curtis Ford, giving Peacehaven a 4-0 win which extends their impressive record over Hassocks to nine victories in the last 10 meetings between the two.
Mark Dalgleish made two enforced changes from the side who had pushed Haywards Heath Town all the way in their Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup Quarter Final on Tuesday night before going down 3-0.
Andy Whittingham was unavailable with his place taken by Bradley Tighe who had been cup tied for the Heath game while Will Broomfield, who picked up a knock in the latter stages of that one, was replaced by Dan Jacques.
Peacehaven started brightly and went close through Matt Cheeseman, John Elliott and former Hassocks favourite Bradley Bant, who received a warm welcome on his first return to the Beacon since his September move to the Tye.
Visiting goalkeeper Aliue Secka saved at the second attempt to deny Phil Johnson on a Robins breakaway as both sides did their best to defy the biblical weather in an opening 20 minutes which ebbed and flowed.
Hassocks had the wind taken out of their sails somewhat when they went behind midway through the first half, Hart opening his account for the afternoon when he met Cheeseman’s cross to the near post with a neat finish past Josh Green.
Seven minutes later and Hart had both his and Peacehaven’s second of the afternoon. It was another cross that caused the damage, this time Cam Wiltshire delivering into a crowded penalty area where Hart did well to make the space to turn before firing home low and hard.
Tyler Scrafton thought he’d found himself with a clear run at goal only to be halted by a brilliant last man challenge from Jacques and three minutes before the break Hassocks came close to pulling one back but Slaughter’s free-kick clipped the top of the bar.
If both teams hoped to emerge at half time to find conditions improving then they were to be sorely disappointed as, if anything, they were now even worse than to start with.
With the quality on show now dropping off as a result, the game ended up being decided by two key moments a couple of minutes apart just past the hour mark.
Hassocks were in the ascendancy at that point with Jordan Badger coming agonisingly close to pulling one back as his header hit the bar.
Had that have gone in, it would have been very much game on. Instead, Peacehaven went up the other end and a brilliant passing move between Hart and Ford saw the latter make it 3-0 and very much game over.
Ford had only been on the pitch for eight minutes following his introduction in place of Bant and he needed just another 10 to score a second, firing home another cross from Cheeseman to round off the scoring.
Hassocks: Josh Green; Bradley Tighe, Harry Mills, Dan Jacques, Jordan Badger; Dan Stokes, Spencer Slaughter, James Westlake; Harvey Blake, Phil Johnson, Jake Lindsey.
Subs: Liam Benson, Joe Bull, Harvey Enticknap (used), Will Broomfield, Jack Wilkins (unused).
Starman: Dan Jacques
