DOWN TIP HASSOCKS TO TURN IT AROUND AFTER FIVE-GOAL THRILLER
Games between Crawley Down Gatwick and Hassocks are rarely dull and this latest instalment certainly had an entertainment factor to it as the two sides shared five goals.
Unfortunately for the Robins, they were on the end of a fifth consecutive defeat as they went down 3-2 but there were at least positives to take for Mark Dalgleish’s side.
It had looked like another long afternoon would be in store at a saturated Haven which passed a 10.30am pitch inspection thanks to the hard work of a loyal band of Anvils volunteers.
Their efforts in ensuring the surface was playable was paying off handsomely as the hosts swept into a two goal lead with just over half an hour played
Billy Wraight had made it 1-0 with nine minutes on the clock, a tidy finish rounding off a neat team move. The second arrived on 32, Ollie Moore doubling Down’s advantage at which point they were in complete control.
Credit to Hassocks though who tried hard to battle back after that. With a third of the campaign now completed and only two wins and seven points on the board, the Robins once again find themselves in a fight for Premier Division survival and they’ll need to show more of this sort of spirit and resistance if 26 seasons of consecutive top fight football isn’t to come to an end come April.
They made it 2-1 before half time with a goal from the most unlikely of sources as left back Andy Whittingham opened his account for the club at the 80th time of asking.
Whittingham had made his first appearance for the Robins as long ago as August 2010, which quite possibly gives him a club record of longest period of time between debut and first goal in Hassocks history with a nine-year stretch.
It was the perfect moment to score too, coming as it did in the final five minutes of the half when a goal for a side who had been trailing by two can often turn a game around. That was certainly the case here and there was a real momentum change which continued into the second half.
As a result, the half time tea had hardly finished being when poured when Hassocks were on level terms. Jamie Hillwood was the scorer this time, his third of the season arriving just five minutes after the restart to make it 2-2.
That was a wake up call for Down and almost instantly, they upped their game in an attempt to get back on the front foot.
You sensed that the next goal would be crucial and unfortunately for the Robins, it went the way of the hosts – and not long after Hillwood’s leveller.
Parity had been restored for only seven minutes when Joe Holvey struck what proved to be the winner, netting a brilliant individual goal worthy of deciding any game.
Down certainly knew they’d been in a battle come the final whistle, when they offered words of encouragement to Dalgleish and his squad for the season ahead.
“It’s always a pleasure to play against Hassocks home or away. They will be disappointed with the result but playing with the level of commitment shown today, they will turn it around.”
If the Robins are to turn it around, they know that they need to take advantage of a run of four consecutive home games over the coming 11 days, although a quick glance at the fixture list makes you realise just how tough the Premier Division is this season.
Newhaven have lost only twice in the league, Peacehaven & Telscombe are in third and one of the only sides to have beaten runaway leaders Eastbourne Town so far and Little Common have won four of their last six.
Still, there were other positives for Dalgleish to take from the Haven going into those games alongside the way his side battled back and the words of praise from their hosts.
Goalkeeper Charlie Pugh pushed Dan Turner close for the man-of-the-match award on his debut having recently moved back to Sussex following a spell at the University of Exeter.
Pugh was recommended to the Robins by club legend Robbie Kitchen who, with 123 goals in 323 senior appearances for the club, knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a decent keeper at this level.
More importantly, there was also the welcome return to action of Phil Johnson who made his first appearance since breaking his leg against East Preston in early August.
Johnson’s 27 goals last season were a major reason as to why Hassocks finished as high as 12th in the table and they’ll be hoping that their captain can hit the goal trail soon. If he can, then Crawley Down’s prediction of a turnaround being not too far away might be correct.
Hassocks: Josh Green; Dan Stokes, Dan Turner, Arni Kublickas, Andy Whittingham; Harvey Enitcknap, Alex Spinks; Jamie Hillwood, James Littlejohn, Jack Troak; Liam Benson.
Subs: Ben Bacon, Joe Bull, Phil Johnson (used), Luke Marshall, Louis Pople (unused).
