Hassocks Under 23s will be looking to make it three wins in a row for the first time this season as they host Lancing at the Beacon on Thursday night.
The Robins will come into the tie in their best form of the season. A week ago, they hammered Oakwood 5-1 at Tinsley Lane which followed up on a shock 4-3 Sussex Under 23 Challenge Cup success against West Division leaders Horsham YMCA.
Dave John’s side have been wildly inconsistent so far, a trait which you could also level at Lancing. The Lancers have won four, lost four and drawn one of their nine league games today, a record which leaves them sitting in fourth spot in the table – four points better off than Hassocks.
This will be the second meeting of the season between the two sides after a hugely entertaining clash at Culver Road last month.
The headlines went to Alex Fair who hit a hat-trick for the hosts, continuing his remarkable scoring record against Hassocks in 2019-20.
Seven weeks previously, Fair had come off the bench at the Beacon in the first team fixture, scoring twice in three minutes to deliver a 2-1 August Bank Holiday Monday win for the Lancers.
Louis Pople and Thomas Jupp got the Under 23s consolation goals with George Mitchell-Phillips the other Lancing score. In what turned out to be an interesting evening for Mitchell-Phillips, he was also shown a red card by referee Paul Barratt with young Hassocks defender Luke Marshall undergoing the same fate.
The two West Division fixtures in 2018-19 were equally entertaining. The first came on the opening day when the spoils were shared in a 1-1 draw at Culver Road, Max Willcox getting the Hassocks goal.
The second meeting came two months later at the Beacon where the Robins just did about enough to win 3-2 and remain top of the table ahead of Horsham YMCA on goal difference.
Luke Richards gave the Lancers the lead twice, opening the scoring in the fifth minute and then notching his second in the 53rd, either side of a 25th minute own goal which had drawn Hassocks level.
Will Glenn got the hosts’ second equaliser just past the hour mark before substitute George Galbraith-Gibbons struck what proved to be the winner 15 minutes from time.
Kick off on Thursday night is at 7.45pm with entrance priced at £3 adults. Concessions and Under 16s go free and both the Robins Bar and the T Bar will be open.
