ROBINS FALL LATE ON THE LONG TRIP WEST
Three days after Hassocks had bucked some recent history by picking up a point from a normally fruitless hunting ground, they were unable to repeat the trick from their longest away journey of the season.
On Saturday at Horsham YMCA, Ben Bacon’s late leveller secured a share of the spoils at a Gorings Mead ground at which they’ve only won twice this century.
While their record at Nyetimber Lane may not be quite as bad, you still have to go back eight years to find the last time that the Robins left Pagham with all three points.
On paper, this looked like their best opportunity to do so since that October day in 2011 when Phil Gault and Phil Johnson delivered a 2-1 success for Mickey Jewell’s side.
Pagham came into the tie yet to taste victory in four games under new boss Bob Paine and sat bottom of the early Premier Division table having failed to score a goal in the league so far.
While former East Preston manager Paine may have completely rebuilt the squad over the summer, that was a continuation of the Lions’ form from the second half of last season, which had seen them tumble from title contention in November to finishing 11th come the end of the campaign.
They picked up just 14 points from 23 games in that run, including a chastening 4-0 hammering at the hands of Hassocks at the Beacon in March.
But there was no repeat of that here. Hassocks certainly weren’t helped by the scheduling, the Southern Combination League sending the Robins on their longest trip on a Tuesday night in the middle of holiday season for a 7.30pm kick off.
That deprived Mark Dalgleish of some of his big name players, necessitating four changes from the side that drew at YM.Out went Arni Kublickas, Alex Spinks, Jamie Hillwood and Jack Rowe-Hurst and in came Dan Jacques, Will Broomfield, Lewis Westlake and James Littlejohn.
The only goal of the game arrived midway through the second half and once again it was as a result of a set piece that Hassocks failed to defend properly.
Lewis Jenkins was the man in black and white who took advantage of the slackness in the Hassocks backline, heading a Jack Barnes corner past Josh Green with nine minutes remaining.
Pagham had begun the game the brighter side, peppering the Hassocks goal with a number of off target efforts. Jenkins, Scott Rafferty and George Cody all failed to make Josh Green work when well placed while Tom Chalaye saw an effort hacked off the line by the enigmatic Jacques, making his first start of the campaign.
It took until the 42nd minute for the Robins to register a shot on target, Lewis Broughton saving comfortably from a Jack Troak effort.
A second Hassocks chance followed a minute later, this time Broughton produced a stunning stop to keep out a one-on-one from Ben Bacon after a home back pass went horribly wrong.
Green produced an equally good save to tip a Barnes screamer over the bar in-between those two opportunities in what was a breathless end to the first half.
The Robins continued where they’d left off at the start of the second 45, drawing another fine save from Broughton and then seeing two further efforts desperately blocked by home defenders.
Pagham weathered that little storm and the game ebbed and flowed after that, the Lions wastefulness in front of goal looking like it might allow the Robins to leave with a point. That was until Jenkins struck to spark wild scenes of jubilation among the home faithful.
Pagham could have sewn the game up with a second in time added on, substitute Harrison Mott winning possession before bearing down on the Hassocks goal but Green made another fine stop.
Paine said afterwards that he was delighted for his young squad and you suspect that they’ll be climbing the table over the coming weeks, now that the monkey of getting their first win is off their backs.
Dalgleish and Hassocks meanwhile turn their attentions to the FA Cup and a first Preliminary Qualifying Round tie for six years away at Isthmian League side Chipstead.
The Robins haven’t eliminated a higher league side in the competition since 2005, meaning that it is something of a free hit – as well as a chance to buck some more recent history.
Hassocks: Josh Green; Harvey Blake, Dan Jacques, Will Broomfield, Andy Whittingham; Harry Mills, Lewis Westlake; Jack Troak, Matt Berridge, James Littlejohn; Ben Bacon.
Subs: Harvey Enticknap, Dan Stokes (used), Joe Bull (unused).
