For the first time in senior football, Hassocks will play a game on a Sunday as the Robins make the journey to Meridian Valley Park in the first qualifying round of the Buildbase FA Vase.
The Robins haven’t won a game in the competition since 2014 and having got a similar monkey off their back in the FA Cup when beating Langney Wanderers three weeks ago, Mark Dalgleish’s side will be hoping for a similar result in south east London at the Meridian Sports & Social Club, where kick off is at 3pm.
Who are Meridian Valley Park?
Meridian Valley Park are a Charlton-based side who play in Division One of the Southern Counties East League. They were founded in 1995 , originally playing in the Dartford and District League before winning promotion to the Kent County League in 2003. The moved up to the Invicta League in 2011 and when that league moved en masse to become the second tier of the Southern Counties East in 2016, they became founder members
Meridian Valley Park last season?
It wasn’t a great campaign for Meridian last year as they finished bottom of the pile, only avoiding relegation after receiving a reprieve. As a result of that, they’ve installed a new management structure for the 2019-20 season with manager Dwinder Tamna stating in the summer that a top three finish was his aim. So far, they’re wracked up two wins and two defeats from four Division One games, leaving them in eighth spot in the table.
What should we expect from Meridian?
It’s hard to know really. Hassocks haven’t faced a side from Division One of the Southern Counties League since it was introduced. As some sort of marker, Horsham YMCA took on Croydon who currently sit second in the table in the FA Cup and required a replay to get through, so based on that the standard would appear to be similar to the Southern Combination Premier Division.
How to get to Meridian Sports & Social Club?
Famous last words, but it looks like a relatively straightforward journey. Take the M25 anticlockwise to the junction with the A2 which you then follow until the A205. From there, take the A205 towards Woolwich until you reach Barrack Field, at which point turn left onto the wonderfully named Ha-Ha Road. The ground is a little way down here on your left, just past the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Any links between the clubs?
No. The closest we’ve got is that James and Lewis Westlake support Charlton.
