Hassocks Under 23s make the long journey west to the Rotherfield this Thursday to take on Midhurst & Easebourne as the Southern Combination League West Division campaign prepares to enter it’s final month.
This will be the third meeting between the two sides so far this season. They’ve previously crossed swords in the both the league and the League Cup with the Robins winning both of the fixtures to date.
The most recent of those was that cup quarter final four weeks ago at the Beacon. Hassocks triumphed 5-2 that day with James Littlejohn grabbing a hat-trick along with goals from Max Willcox and George Galbraith-Gibbons.
That followed up on the Stags visit to the Beacon back in September which resulted in the Robins’ biggest win of the campaign to date as they ran out 9-0 winners on matchday two.
Littlejohn enjoyed himself that day as well, notching four times along with a hat-trick from substitute Galbraith-Gibbons and strikes from Willcox and midfielder Connor Bradley.
That result suggested that it could be a very fruitful season for the Robins, who currently sit second in the table but with a game in hand on leaders Horsham YMCA.
Midhurst meanwhile sit bottom of the West Division with just two victories to their name, a 2-1 success over Mile Oak and a highly impressive 7-5 win over YMCA, making them one of only two sides to have defeated the table toppers so far this season.
The victory over YM shows that despite their lowly league position, Midhurst remain dangerous opponents who are more than capable of springing an upset – especially at home. This will be a step into the unknown for Hassocks with the Under 23 squad having never visited the Rotherfield before.
Kick off over in Midhurst is at the slightly earlier time of 7.30pm.