After going down 2-0 to relegation threatened Arundel in their last game at the Beacon, Hassocks will be hoping to avoid a repeat this Saturday as another side towards the bottom of the Premier Division in the shape of Loxwood are the visitors to Mid Sussex.
This is the Magpies’ first experience of a relegation battle since their promotion to the top flight five years ago, but they’re not giving up their hard-earned place at the top table without a fight.
Like many of the sides currently towards the bottom of the table, Loxwood endured a difficult start to the season before their form picked up markedly once they’d made a managerial change.
Alex Walsh was the new man in the hot seat, leaving his role as assistant manager with Hassocks’ local rivals Haywards Heath Town to take over at Plaistow Road at the start of November.
Since Walsh’s appointment, the Magpies have acquired 13 of the 17 points they’ve accumulated so far this season to haul themselves right back into the battle for Premier Division survival.
They currently sit second bottom of the table but are just two points behind Arundel, the team immediately above the dreaded relegation line.
A peek at their record against the Robins will give the visitors cause for optimism as well.
Hassocks have only won once in the short nine-game history of the fixture, that coming at Plaistow Road back in September when Mark Dalgleish’s side ran out 4-0 victors through goals from Liam Benson, Spencer Slaughter and a Phil Johnson brace.
Other than that, the Magpies have won six times and there have been two draws while they’ve also enjoyed their trips to the Beacon, having never lost in Mid Sussex before.
That won’t come as a surprise to anybody who has witnessed Loxwood’s previous visits to Hassocks, their slick, young attacking teams often proving to be too good with a set of impressive showings in their back catalogue.
A fair few of those young players who had made the Magpies such a formidable force in their time in the top flight to date have moved on which is why they’ve struggled slightly this season, but with Walsh at the helm things are definitely looking up.
Walsh could name two former Hassocks in his side with current Magpies captain Eddie French being one of the first major success stories to come through the Hassocks Youth System back in the late 1990’s.
He led Dave John’s successful Under 18 side as well as captaining the Sussex Representative side, something that no other youth player from the Robins has ever achieved.
With his natural talent, French became a regular in the first time at a young age and racked up 99 appearances, scoring 10 goals.
Needless to say, it wasn’t long before bigger sides came calling and French moved to Isthmian League side Horsham.
He went onto become a Hornets legend and was part of the side that famously took League One’s Swansea City to an FA Cup First Round replay in the 2007-08 season.
Also currently plying his trade at Plaistow Road is midfielder Lewis Westlake who left Hassocks this summer, moving to Loxwood via a brief spell with Lancing.
Westlake racked up 62 appearances for the Robins across the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, scoring four times for the club.
Kick off at the Beacon is at 3pm and entrance is priced at £6 adults, £3 concessions and under 16s go free. The T Bar will be serving hot food and drink throughout the afternoon and for those of you looking for something a little stronger, the Robins Bar can cater for all your alcohol needs.
